Captain Swan and the Siren Queen's Heart
by magicmumu
Summary: Emma Swan's first encounter with the queen of the Sirens left her soul enslaved and slightly insane. When she tries to save her stolen shipmates as captain of her own ship, she finds that Queen Regina is in need of help. With a new adventure ahead of them, can Emma work with the Siren Queen without losing her body and soul to her? AU Once/slight Pirates of the Caribbean UPDATED
1. Chapter 1

Title: Captain Swan and the Siren Queen's Heart

Authors: HardcoreEvilRegal & magicmumu

Fandom: Once Upon A Time mixed with dashes of Pirates of the Caribbean ideas.

Pairing: Eventual Swan Queen

Rating: Ranging from G to M. This chapter could b suppose.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor do I own anything from the show. I just have crazy ideas. So shoot me if I wanna write them down!

Side Note: This fic was inspired by the Regina, Queen of the Sea picture that was floating around tumblr. So magicmumu and I decided to collaborate and bring this fic to you. I do hope you enjoy it.

Summary: Emma Swan's first encounter with the queen of the Sirens left her soul enslaved and slightly insane. When she tries to save her stolen shipmates as captain of her own ship, she finds that Queen Regina is in need of help. With a new adventure ahead of them, can Emma work with the Siren Queen without losing her body and soul to her?  
_

*Note, both of us are posting it via our respective accounts, so this is why you may see it twice.*

Restless waters, the smell of salt, rum and days upon days of being out to sea. That had always been home to Emma Swan. Or at least a small semblance of one. The sea was her home, free to roam whenever and wherever she pleased. She had never known any different, having been abandoned by her parents twenty-eight years ago. It was a story Emma was never comfortable telling, and very few knew the exact details. She had never been one to exploit personal details of her life. But by the grace of whoever, or whatever, was watching over her, Emma had been found by a unique band of pirates the day she had been abandoned. Unique in the way that the entire crew were all women. No high levels of testosterone anywhere. Unless you counted Emma, unruly and ignorant of the ways of being a proper woman. And to be honest, Emma wouldn't have it any other way.

These women took care of her when she was younger, made her laugh, and taught her everything from how to steer their ship in a strong gale to the basics of reading and writing. They had several names, depending on whose turf they were on. Mary Margaret, who went by Snow in the north, fancied herself the ship's captain, even though there never really had been any set roles. Everyone did what they could together in order to keep the ship afloat day after day, fight after fight, shore after shore.

Emma almost couldn't remember when her life wasn't about the traveling, the defense against another all male crew who thought they could overtake them or sway them with their penises. Even nearing her thirties, she had no real thought for the future, for who knew when the waters would turn so rough against you and suck you in its depths? She knew that she didn't want to be anywhere else, with anyone else but those women. Until one day their ship entered into the eastern waters, and her entire family had been caught by a woman named Regina, queen of the Sirens.

The woman had been beautiful, long dark locks swaying in the breeze and piercing brown eyes watching their every move. It was easy to see how anyone could be captivated by her. It was that split second of being off her guard that ruined Emma's life as she knew it. Regina had struck a few hard blows to their ship, catching them by surprise and leaving them sinking quickly. It was then that Regina's band of Sirens had swooped in, taking anyone they could get their hands on, including Emma. She struggled the best she could, calling out to Mary Margaret and anyone else her eyes could land on. But her yelling was in vein; it seemed no one would escape the Sirens as they were dragged to Regina's ship faster than they could think. Emma was sure this was the end of her life, the ways of the sea life claiming her life for its own.

Emma was surprised when, who knew how long later, Emma found herself awake and warm. She heard the soft singing of her shipmates, but she didn't know where they were coming from. "They're mine now," a commanding sort of voice said, even as the volume of such a voice was soft. Emma winced anyway, knowing the voice was that of Regina's. Emma knew little about the woman who now held her captive, just market place rumors and tall tales of once rivals who fell at her shore. What surprised Emma the most was that she was there with her, in what appeared to be the woman's personal chamber. Emma's eyes searched the room, immediately landing on the window the displayed the sea just outside the chambers. She noted the rocking of the boat as the waves crashed against it, the feeling normally settling her nerves, but for now it only served to rattle her shaky nerves further. Emma was not on her own boat, but someone else's.

"Let us go," Emma said to the woman. The blonde tried to back up, but found that there was a wall directly behind her.

A deliciously evil, malevolent laugh echoed around the room. Clearly Regina had been amused by Emma's words, even as the blonde's frown deepened. "I don't think so, dear."

That demanding, yet soft voice floated its way back to Emma's ears, making Emma have to fight hard against her muscles to keep from following it. She couldn't see Regina, and had no idea where she was. She was somewhere hidden in the shadows of course, but it unraveled her nerves to not see the woman she could feel staring intently at her. A shiver ran down Emma's spine, whether from the fear, the sound of Regina's voice or the chill of the cabin, she wasn't sure.

Emma fought against her own body once more, as if she really had been shackled to miles of chains. She was caught in the thrall of the Sirens' queen, but how? Sirens were only to entice men to the rock according to legend, but Emma was lost, and she hadn't even seen the woman. "It won't do to fight it," the voice said again.

"Please," Emma called, though what she was pleading for quickly became lost in her own mind. Had she tried once again to request their freedom, or was she now voicing the increasing desire to see the woman, to be near her in a way that she knew she shouldn't be?

It was at this moment, just as Emma was about to beg again, that Regina seemingly floated out of the shadows. Her walk was graceful, regal with her chin held high and posture as straight as possible. The moonlight glowing through the large window overlooking the ship, coupled with the glow of the candle that was lit, cast an almost ethereal glow against the woman now standing in the middle of the room. Emma couldn't drag her eyes away; the two sides of her brain fighting within her on exactly what to do.

On one hand, Emma wanted to try her hardest to slay the Siren smirking at her. On another hand, she wanted to remove herself from the spot she was sitting and be as near to this beautiful creature as was humanly possible. Regina seemed to sense this, probably knew it if Emma could go by the look in her eyes. The smug smile on her lips did not waver as she took a few more steps forward, eyes locking with Emma's. "Begging will get you nowhere with me, Emma Swan." If possible, the smirk grew even wider as Regina said her name. There was a shift in her eyes though, Emma noticed. There was something Regina was battling herself and was trying her hardest to keep any traces of it from Emma.

Emma wondered if she should even ask how the woman knew her name, but she said nothing. She shifted, but her body took this as permission to move slowly towards the queen. Regina took steps of her own to Emma, the smirk never wavering. The Siren Queen's attire was nothing like what Emma would have expected for the high seas. In fact, what she wore was so different from anything she had ever seen before. She wore a black gown that covered all of her body, with high collar that nearly covered the neck and almost touched the large pins that held her elaborate hair in place, where it had been down and waving like a flag in the breeze before Emma's capture. Regina had what Emma assumed to be a black shawl made from raven feathers. Emma brought her hand out in front of her as if to touch, but her mind forced her to stop. 'She is dangerous!' Something within reminded her. 'She has your crew, and soon she will have you too!'

Regina stepped forward, allowing the blonde's outstretched hand to touch as she had desired. Emma nearly crumpled to the floor. There was something that surged between them- no doubt the queen's magic- and Emma felt herself being enveloped by it. Despite the fact that she could hear her shipmates' songs, she felt a deeper lament in her soul, one sung by the dark woman before here even though her mouth was closed. Emma swallowed. "What is this?" she found herself asking, her voice so soft and hoarse that it was uncertain if she was even speaking to the queen, or to her own heart.

A look of amusement etched itself onto Regina's face, her head tilting back as she gave a thrilled laugh to match the facial expression. When moved forward again, she looked Emma in the eyes, and there was a glimmer to those chocolate brown orbs. Emma could stare at them all day, for the rest of her life even. The blonde shook her head, shocked by the fact that such a thought was floating around in her mind. 'She has her spell on you. Do not fall for this false pretense. She does not want you and you do not want her.' That little voice inside kept screaming, telling her to make a run for it. But something was stopping her, steeling her to the floor. As for what it truly was, Emma was unsure.

Regina had to hold back the shiver that threatened to rip its way down her spine. The cause: Emma Swan's touch. She'd never felt something more powerful than the surge of energy and magic that burst between them as soon as Emma's palm had touched her. Regina had also nearly fallen to the floor, overwhelmed by the feelings washing through and over them, blanketing both herself and the beautiful blonde woman. Something sparked in her chest at that moment, a feeling she hadn't known for ages and had nearly forgotten. However, Regina kept her calm demeanor, not letting it show that she was as affected by this as Emma was. So, she continued to playfully smirk at her and use her artfully skilled seductions.

"This…" And Regina gestured between them, stepping just another inch closer. "Is magic, Emma." The brunette breathed Emma's name, making it sound almost like an alluring cadence. Emma could not help but lean towards Regina, their faces inching ever closer. Regina cracked a breathtaking smile, rendering Emma speechless of any questions she may have asked before. "That feeling washing over you…" There was a beat of pause before Regina continued. "That is me. I am flowing through you, with you." At that moment, Regina's hand palmed Emma's cheek, her head leaning forward to brush her lips softly against her ear. "Feel me, Emma." The three words were just a whisper, a breath, and Emma felt herself become weak at the knees.

Emma found the courage to move her hand upward from the Siren Queen's stomach, past the side swell of her breast and over the raven feathers on her shoulders. The palm of her hand touched Regina's cheek, and a pale thumb ran lightly over Regina's deep red lips. "Dear Poseidon, I feel you," Emma gasped out, almost a prayer against her own volition. She leaned in to kiss the dark woman, who met her in the middle.

When their lips met, Regina could swear she felt a phantom wind around her, a wind she had only felt in the breaking of curses. Regina hadn't placed any curse, however. If anything, she was falling into one: love. This alone should have been enough to scare her away from the blonde, but all she could feel was the warm hand on her cheek, the connection of chests as they crashed together, and the tongue that begged for her to open herself to Emma. She did, allowing the younger woman to deepen the kiss, and to draw her entire body closer. She could feel the magic that surrounded Emma come full circle into herself. She was being drawn in as well, as if this Emma Swan had power of the Siren's call in her also.

Regina forced herself to lean back, which broke the kiss. A small noise ripped from somewhere, and the queen was unsure if it came from Emma or herself. Neither of them, it seemed, wanted the moment between them to end. She knew that if what she was feeling was anything to go on, it wouldn't be long before a strange sort of obsession would overtake them both and destroy everything. Regina placed a hand on Emma's chest and pushed her slightly, feeling as if she was ripping in two at the lack of warmth that came from the action. She tried her best to place a mask over herself, but with Emma's hooded eyes looking up at her in a haze of magic and lust, it was nearly impossible to keep herself from latching onto the other woman and continuing their kiss.

"Now now, my pet," Regina said. She didn't recognize her own voice. "I have many... many plans for you yet, if you're patient."

Emma swallowed back the lump in her throat, suddenly feeling very anxious, but despite herself she nodded. She knew what Regina was thinking, knew exactly where this was leading. And damn it did she want it to lead exactly where Regina intended. There was another part of her though, the logical side, that told her she needed a plan to escape and quickly. Regina was already eying her like she was a brand new case of rum.

Grabbing Emma by the buckle holding her tight black pants firmly in place, Regina grinned wickedly over at Emma, gazing at her from beneath her lashes. "Come. Lie with me." Her tone dropped an octave, implying that there would be more than lying down happening in her chambers very soon.

Emma licked her lips, her brain ticking as a plan already began to fall into place. She did her best to keep an interested and playful smile dancing around her lips. What was nearly unfortunate was the fact that her smile was almost completely genuine. She still felt the tug to Regina pulling at her, doing her level best to ignore and almost failing. The way Regina was tugging at her belt and making her follow her like a lost puppy was overwhelming, but Emma managed to place her hand on top of Regina's, making the beauty stop mid stride to her bed.

"I…I want to lay with you. More than words can express, but…" Emma paused, looking down at the floor. It hurt her chest not to be staring at Regina's beautiful face for even a moment. The feeling was an electric shock to Emma's senses.

Regina raised an eyebrow, letting go of Emma's belt and placing both palms on either side of Emma's neck. "Tell me." She demanded, voice stern, but soft in unison.

Emma nodded and willed herself to continue. She was fighting against the warring voices raging inside of her. "I have been out at sea for more than a fortnight. I would…like to freshen up for you." The blonde paused, tempting a glance up at Regina. "I would like to be at my best for you." With those words, Emma feigned a shy side smile, green eyes averting back to the floor.

Regina's eyes became somewhat hard, suspicious at the sudden turn. Surely she had something planned, but even the queen couldn't deny that the effects of Emma- or any sailor's lifestyle left a not so pleasant odor. Besides, Emma's gaze was subservient, and so she took this chance. "Of course, dear," the Siren Queen said. She waved her hand, and a purple haze of magic formed. Right away, a man with sunken eyes, a long dark beard and an easter hat appeared in the haze. "Find him. Tell him his mistress calls upon his service."

"Yes, Your Majesty." With that the mist dissipated, and a moment later, another man came into the room. Neither woman had moved in that time, Emma and Regina's mind both concentrated on keeping apart from the other. Both women had the same images in their heads, images that Emma knew wouldn't become a reality. Especially when this new man came into the room looking them over. He was rugged, and Emma wondered how such a man would have made it out here at sea, especially since he looked suited more for the forest than the icy waters of the ocean.

"Take this woman to the baths. Watch over her, and when she is done, bring her back to me." Regina ordered. The man bowed slightly and went to Emma. "Wait," she commanded. The man stilled. Regina walked to Emma and moved some blonde strands that had escaped from the tie away from her face. "I will have Nova bring you new clothes, though you won't need them for long. Before you go, there is one thing that you must remember, Emma Swan. You belong to me. Should you run away, you will find your way back to me, and the hunger will never cease." Regina placed a kiss on the younger woman's lips, and a small mist of purple rose between them slightly, sealing Regina's words.

Emma gulped when the kiss ended, and there seemed to be a new rhythm within her, a heartbeat that wasn't her own, but Regina's as well. "I only want to be here, with you," she said, which was nothing short of the truth, however, she knew she had to get out of there and save her shipmates, her family.

"Good. Go, and return to me soon," Regina said, turning away towards the window of the room, looking out to the incoming ship that would soon crash into the rocks.

There was a part of Emma that did want to return to Regina. A part of her that felt like if she didn't, she would crumble to the floor and cease to exist without her. But Emma knew better. She was a strong pirate who had been taking care of herself for a long time now, not even letting those woman who had found her help. So why was it so hard to convince herself that she could not live without Regina? 'It's her magic. Ignore the feelings. They are not real.' Her inner voice scolded her again as she turned to make her leave from the cabin.

The man Regina had summoned to take her to the baths held her by her arm. She eyed him for a moment, wondering how he had gotten himself into this position. She was quiet for a moment as he led the way, but her mind was trying to kick start her into gear. "What's your name?" Emma questioned, glancing a look at the man with his rough beard, but soft eyes.

"Graham." The man answered quickly, keeping his eyes away from Emma. It was almost as if he was afraid to look at her, like he was going to get in trouble for even looking at her face. Little did Emma know that that was exactly what would happen to him. Regina was a possessive woman and she had quickly gathered possessive feelings for Emma.

The blonde nodded, keeping a good pace as she readied herself to escape. "Name's Emma." She supplied, giving a faint, fake smile. Graham only nodded, continuing to steer her towards the baths. Emma gave a chuckle, trying her best to distract this man. "You don't talk much do you?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow and trying to catch his eyes.

Graham stopped, turning towards Emma, but still refusing to look her straight in the eye. "Not when the other person is the Queen's pet, no." His voice was hard and to the point. With that, he turned and continued walking.

Emma steadied her legs and stood still, refusing to move. Graham stopped short when Emma didn't move, turning to glare at her. He was just about to yell at her when he saw Emma began to sway. He stopped short and tried to steady her, holding her by both shoulders. "Are you okay?" Graham asked, a look of concern passing over his features. If anything happened to this girl, Regina would skin him alive.

Emma waved her hands, bending over and acting as if she felt woozy. She placed her hands against her thighs and look up at Graham. "I'm fine, I just…" She paused, giving her acting a dramatic effect, sucking in deep breaths. "I haven't eaten in…in a while. And I'm just feeling a little sick is all. I'm fine…I'm fine." She bent her head again, her eyes watching Graham's boots as he slowly moved forward.

The blonde swayed once more, acting as if she was about to tumble over. Her green eyes watched Graham's boots as he moved towards her once more. When he bent to straighten her up and steady her, Emma swung up, her right hand aiming straight for Graham's jaw. There was a cracking sound as knuckles met jaw, and then her foot swung out in front of her, connecting straight to Graham's stomach. Graham flew back onto his rear, landing with a grunt escaping him.

Emma took off, her legs carrying her as quick as she could move. She spared no glance back at Graham, only concerned with getting her shipmates and herself off of this godforsaken ship. After a few minutes of running, she heard Graham barreling after her, footfalls heavy against the wooden boards. Emma sped up, searching frantically for Mary Margaret and the rest. She tried to listen to their singing, but it was hard to hear them against the sounds of her feet and Graham's slamming against the floor beneath them.

Emma's heart raced, and it broke, both from the running away and running away from Regina. If the act of stepping away from her a step or two had hurt as much as it had, then the sheer agony of being away from Regina now was worse, and she had to find a way out. She could still hear the sounds of men shouting, and another female voice shouting over them to stay within the ship. She was close! If she saw the other ship, she would see her sister crewmates. She turned a corner, dodging a brunette little servant girl who glanced at her and then down, much in the way that Graham had. She was coming down the platform from the rocks of the land Regina's grand ship was docked upon. In her hand was a change of clothes, what looked to be a dark blue gown so far from anything Emma herself would think to wear. In the distance, Emma saw what appeared to be a castle carved into the side of the large rock. On the flatter surfaces leading towards the castle, another servant girl left the castle and brought a pale of something towards the rocky cliff. Just behind her, Emma thought she saw the dark long hair of Ruby Lucas, her best friend, but she couldn't quite be sure.

"Nova! Stop her!" Graham called. This brought the young woman to action, and Emma turned and ran up the platform onto the cliffs, leading her towards the water where she could hear the shouts up close. Then, she saw them, her sisters. They looked so different from when she saw them hours ago, even as their dress was all the same. Their eyes were white, and their lips and skin now a pale silvery color. Their mouths hung open as they reached their arms out to the men who fell one by one into the water. The only reason why the ship itself hadn't crashed into the rocks was because Emma could see the shape of a long haired crewman manning the ship alone, calling out to men. Her voice fell on deaf ears, and the ship was beginning to turn around slowly in the harsh wind the magic of the Sirens had conjured. Emma ran along the dock, looking for a way to get onto that ship. If she had any hope of surviving, she had to make it onto that ship. She felt that were she to stay, she would remain safe, at least until the Siren Queen had gotten bored with her, but she didn't want to spend the rest of her days - however many that may have been - as a slave of a queen.

"HOY THERE! LET ME ON YOUR SHIP!" Emma screamed into the winds around her. There was a pause in the figure's movements, which gave the blonde hope that she had heard her. "LET ME ABOARD YOUR SHIP! PLEASE!"

"HOW DO I KNOW YOU'RE NOT A SIREN OF THE QUEEN?!" the figure asked.

Emma didn't have the time to convince the figure, for she felt that Regina herself was drawing nearer. She knew that soon she would find her and one touch would make her the willing slave she didn't want to be. Emma winced at what she would have to do. If this didn't work, she would die. If it did, she could try to convince the lone crewman that she wasn't a Siren in the time they would then have. Either way, she would be free. Emma looked behind her at the girl known as Nova and the man Graham, who advanced upon her. She took a deep breath and she jumped into the water.

The first thing she realized, once her mind cleared from the shock the cold of the water had brought to her entire body, was that she wasn't dead. That was a good thing. Then she realized that the boat was coming towards her. A rope was thrown over, and Emma swam towards it. "You're a fool, but I know now that you are not a Siren," the crewman- woman, Emma saw as soon as she fell over the side of the boat onto the deck - said to her.

"I need to get away from here," Emma said. "The Siren Queen has me under some sort of spell, and if I don't leave, I will be a slave to her forever."

"Why have you been able to escape?" the woman asked her as she looked Emma over. The blonde did the same. Her rescuer was of the Eastern Oriental region. From her clothing, Emma would have guessed China. Had she not had the physical look of a warrior, Emma would have wondered if perhaps this woman was brought on board as a concubine.

"I honestly don't know," Emma admitted after a moment of silence, in which she heard two heart beats race at two very different strong rhythms. She brought a hand to her head, and winced.

"I don't know how long I can man this ship alone. If you're enslaved to the queen of the Sirens, then you are of no use to me, especially if she wants you badly enough. You would then only risk my own life."

"Turn the ship Southwest towards the lands of the Enchanted Forest, then tie me here to this crow's nest and keep me there until morning. By then we will be far enough away that maybe her hold on me won't be as strong and I can be of use to you. Once we reach those shore in about 3 days, we will part ways. Please. You are my only hope, and I will do whatever I can to repay you."

The woman seemed to think on this, even as she walked towards the mentioned crow's nest and the rope that was coiled nearby. "Alright. I can dock there and regroup. If the men are there on the rocks, chances are, they are already lost to the Sirens. I will need a new crew and more supplies. If you are not alright by morning, you will be left to the sharks."

Emma looked over to the shore, and saw to her horror that Regina was on the cliff. Graham and Nova were fishing some of the men out of the sea, but none of them were killed. They climbed towards Regina, but Graham kept them at bay. This was a good thing, as Emma was ready to jump back out and claim Regina as hers. 'No,' she told herself. Noticing this, Mulan roughly grabbed Emma's arm and pushed the blonde against the mast. "Thank you," Emma said softly as soon as she was tied tightly and Mulan had brought a skin of water to her lips.

"There you are." Mulan's voice was surprisingly soft, as if she took some pity on Emma. She went back to steer the ship Southwest where Emma had told her to go. The only reason why she had yet to argue this was because they were in danger, and because Emma was right about the land of the Enchanted Forest being the closest to them. This proved to Mulan that Emma indeed knew her way at least around these waters and could help her the next day, should her curse be dropped after a distance from the Siren Queen.

Almost immediately, once they got out from under the darkest clouds of the area, Emma began screaming. At first in agony, as if the distance literally ripped her apart, and then an incoherent sort of pleading to go back, as well as pleas for the Siren Queen. Mulan winced a couple of times at the angry sounds directed at her at some points, but she had to keep them going.

On the rocky shore of the Sirens, Regina's jaw tightened the further away she saw her almost lover get from her. Her body was hot, and inside she felt she was ripping apart, but she had to remain in a regal sort of stance as Graham stood beside her waiting her next order. Nova cowered at the looks the more savage of the ship's crew were giving her, and hid behind the man, who comforted her the best he could. Regina tried her best not to cry. Was being with her really worse than death? she wondered. "No, whatever has happened, she will be back. What I feel is so much worse for her," Regina said to herself. She set her jaw again as the pain within her grew. She brought a hand to her stomach and whispered a spell that lessoned the pain, but she knew a dull ache would always remain for as long as Emma Swan was apart from her. She thought about what Emma was feeling, and knowing how her own pain had been, knew she couldn't allow for Emma to live like that.

She conjured a small silver necklace that had a swan shaped charm on it, wearing a crown. "Emma Swan, you will return to me," she said softly, "but until then, be safe my darling." With that, she brought the necklace to her lips, kissed it tenderly, and then blew on it. The necklace disappeared, and Regina stood, watching the boat until it sailed completely from view. Then she looked to Graham and Nova, who shivered in the cold winds. "Graham, take Nova away from these beasts, and then take these men to my new dearies. I need to lie down and I want no interruptions until morning."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

On the ship, Emma stopped ranting and screaming at Mulan. The smaller woman looked up and saw a small purple glow on Emma's neck as the blonde stopped speaking all together. It took another second to realize she had fallen asleep. Worried, Mulan tied a rope to the helm and made sure it continued on its course straight ahead, and then she went to let down another sail in hopes of getting them further along faster. Despite it normally taking three days to reach the shore, it would probably be even longer, even with a fully functioning Emma to help her. Mulan carefully approached the woman and saw that her sleep was peaceful, that she hadn't fallen unconscious, but merely asleep.

Mulan noticed a necklace upon Emma's neck just as the purple glow died down. She saw the image of a swan upon it with a small jewel in the crown the swan wore. Mulan recognized it as a smaller medallion. It was different in size and shape, but she hoped it did what it was supposed to, which was to keep this blonde woman safe. "A gift from the Siren Queen, I assume" Mulan said softly, reaching up to tuck blonde hair from Emma's face. "It is obvious she wants you, but why hadn't she just come after you?" she asked, more to herself than to the sleeping woman before her.

The ship continued to sail away from the rocky shores, Mulan never once looking back as the sharp rocks disappeared from view. It would take a few days to reach their destination and she hoped that during that time Emma would lose her hunger for the Siren Queen.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It had been four days since Regina's heart beat with the rhythem of two, and if she concentrated deep in the night, those heartbeats would join together and sound as one. It was the closest she could be now to Emma Swan, who was too far away for even her magic to find her. Nova, the innocent, had once asked her why she hadn't gone after the woman. The truth was, she could spend the rest of her life chasing Emma, but that wouldn't make the woman want to come back to her. Regina looked out over the water. Her dearies had ceased their singing now that their newest prey had crashed to the rocks, and Graham was salvaging all supplies he could from the cliffs to add to their own. She was surprised by the new addition. She had no names for them and it wasn't like Emma had the time to tell her, but there was one woman who had an almos feral quality about her, even if all of the women seemed to draw more men to the shore these days. This didn't amuse her as much as she hoped it would. She hadn't expected for her encounter with Emma Swan to end in the way it had, either. There had been something about the woman when she was captured. She put up quite a fight, much in the way Graham had. Regina thought she would have had fun breaking all of that spirit the woman held within her. But then the woman woke up...

Something had grabbed ahold of her heart and brought her usual plans of mischief to a screeching halt. Regina had been unable to keep her eyes away from the beautiful blonde lying on her bed. There was something about Emma Swan that drew her in and made her want to be as close as possible. The feelings crashing into her heart were overwhelming, yet invigorating. It brought her to life, made her feel more refreshed than she'd ever thought possible. As she hid in the shadows of her own quarters, Emma's eyes had landed right on her, though the blonde had had no clue. At that particular moment, when Emma's green eyes had landed on her, Regina's breath caught and her hands shook. It was as if Emma was staring straight into her soul, soothing and loving it without even a single word. Regina had never felt such contentment in a single stare before. As soon as Emma's eyes darted away, Regina had felt empty and cold. It frightened her to think that even a single touch from Emma, only to be taken away, would leave an even worse feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She predicted the exact moment Emma had decided to run. Regina knew this even as Emma asked to bathe before she lie with her. She had known, but was unable to force the blonde to stay. She had let her go. Regina had let her run and be free, but neither would be truly free. Not until they were together as they should be. These thoughts plagued Regina's mind as she gazed out the window of her bedroom. She was completely unable to keep her mind off of Emma, still unsure of just exactly what it was that had connected them so quickly. This was exactly the reason why someone had snuck into her room without her noticing. It was the very reason why someone stood silently behind her for seemingly unknown minutes. It was the clearing of a throat that made Regina jump and immediately turn to cast the intruder away with her magic. The intruder was quick to stop her. Regina's eyes widened as her arms were invisibly tied to her sides, and she was unable to move them at all. Brown eyes fell on the face of her mother, a deceivingly sweet smile spread across the woman's lips.

"Hello, Regina. It's good to see you."

"Can't say I'm sorry I don't feel the same," Regina replied, wincing when the magical hold on her increased. Her mother was stronger, that much she could feel right away. No matter how strong she got in her magic, her mother always had surpassed her. Regina could read days on end in every magical text she came across, but she felt she could never beat her. Never.

Cora smiled in the devilish way Regina was used to from the start of her childhood. "Oh come now, Regina. Don't be like that. Can't a mother come and visit her daughter without such silly games?"

"Not when you're the mother," Regina said, ending her scathing remark with a whimpered cry of pain.

"You're a bit too old to be mouthing off to your mother, aren't you?"

"I'm too old to be punished by her as well."

The magical hold on Regina dropped after this. "I would spend the time proving you wrong my dear, but I'm afraid that would be time that I don't have. I didn't come by for a quarrel, as amusing as they are not." Cora stepped forward, the purple of her dark gown glittering slightly in the light of the room. Regina tried to move away, but her arms felt numb after the hold on her. This was new, and Regina didn't like it. "Hold still my darling girl, and mommy will make it all better. You'll see."

Regina glared up at her mother, but she was placed under another spell, one that froze her whole body even as she said, "Don't you dare touch me!" Cora still advanced.

"I'd be lying if I told you this won't hurt you, Regina." Cora said as she bent down.

"Since when do YOU care about Lies-" Her sentence was cut off when Cora's hand reached forward into her chest, so far that her wrist was surrounded by Regina's flesh. And then she felt it. The two heartbeats hit against the palm of Cora's hand.

"Yes, this... This will do nicely," Cora said, more to herself than to anyone who could listen.

Emma leaned against the side of the boat, staring down at the water as they docked. She couldn't seem to get her mind off of Regina. Not even sailing and the open sea helped ease her troubled mind, and that usually did the trick. Her mind just would not let Regina go. Mulan had untied her after she'd woken up, and even though they were far away from Regina, there was still a dull ache in the pit of her stomach. Emma had noticed the necklace hanging from her neck and questioned Mulan about it. Apparently Regina had given this to her. But why? Why in the world would a Siren Queen give such a gift to someone like Emma? Her heart could explain it, but her mind was just unwilling to wrap around the explanation.

The blonde busied herself with things on the ship, running from place to place to try to keep her mind quiet, but nothing helped. Instead, she found herself pacing on the ship for most of the journey. A four day journey full of Regina's voice in her head had taken a toll on her and Mulan. Because of the constant ache, Emma was cranky and Emma had never been pleasant when cranky. That in turn led her to yell now and then at Mulan when she thought she wasn't doing something right. The yelling, of course, turned into arguing. So both women were run down and exhausted by the time they docked.

It was as Mulan was tying the ropes to the dock and as Emma stared down into the water that the necklace began to glow. Mulan was the first to see it, pointing it out to Emma. The blonde looked down at the necklace, eyes widening as it glowed a bright purple. It felt hot against her skin for a moment, burning a circle on her clavicle. Emma picked it up the by chain, jerking it over her head. The necklace vibrated for a moment before the light flashed, burst a brighter purple and then went out. Emma blinked, holding it away from her for a moment. She reached her other hand out to touch it, making sure it wasn't hot anymore. When she was satisfied it was cool, she slowly brought it back towards her chest. Suddenly, her eyes went wide for a moment and then she swallowed.

"Got to put it back on. Go to put it back on." Emma mumbled, her eyes looking intense as she slipped the necklace back around her neck.

"What was that?" Mulan questioned as she ran up to Emma, concern written over her features.

"N-Nothing…" The blonde stuttered, waving her hands and flashing a grin to Mulan. "Nothing at all. I'm fine. You're fine. Everybody is fine." Emma enthusiastically nodded her head before patting Mulan on the back. "Let's so scavenge for supplies!"

And before Mulan could say another word, Emma propelled herself over the side of the ship and onto the dock. Mulan watched for a moment, impressed to see that Emma landed safely on the dock. However, she was concerned as Emma took one step and wobbled the tiniest bit, hands waving out in the air as she balanced herself. She followed Emma, slowly walking behind her and listening to her mumble to herself. This was not the behavior she had seen on the ship, so it made her wonder just exactly what that necklace had done to her.

"Oh the smells!" Emma said brightly, she placed her feet hard to the ground as if she was bracing herself, but nothing was out to get her. She then continued on as if nothing happened. Mulan ran after her and then infront of her to stop Emma from continuing on.

"Hey now. Hey stop!"

"Hello there," Emma said with a smile. It was almost flirtatious if it hadn't ended in somewhat of a wince.

"How do you feel? Something is off," Mulan said.

"Off? Whatever do you mean Love? Off? off with his head? Well thats not nice at all is it?"

"I know you're mad for that Siren Queen, but this is-"

"Oh Regina, owner of my heart," Emma said wistfully. "But I can't, you know. She has my family, so we need supplies. What are we waiting for?"

Mulan set her feet and pushed against Emma's shoulders to keep her from walking and swaying every whichway. "You're sick, Emma," she said.

"Am I? Nothing a bit of a walk and a new set of clothes won't fix. Come now, Mulan my friend. We can't be late."

"Late for what?" Mulan asked.

"That." Emma pointed. Mulan looked behind her, and Emma easily left her hold.

Emma set off for all of the stalls. She was unable to stand at one for too long because of something else catching her eye. She'd point at something and gawk over before she moved on to yet another stall. Mulan tried to keep up with her, unable to look for the things she needed in order to look after Emma. There was no telling what kind of trouble she could have gotten herself into in this state of mind. Mulan nearly lost her as Emma moved into the crowd. She only found her because of a scream Emma had let out.

Mulan rushed up behind her, grabbing her shoulders and looking her over. "Emma! Are you alright? What happened?" Mulan asked, her eyes darting over Emma's body to check for injuries. Emma pulled away from Mulan, a large smile plastered to her face as she pointed a finger towards a stall.

"That jacket! I have to have that jacket. It's THE most amazing jacket I've ever laid my eyes on. Absolutely splendid. Splendous? Splendiferous?" Emma shrugged as Mulan glared at her, completely unaware of how agitated she was becoming.

Emma quickly walked over to the jacket, her fingers running over the red arms and then over the gold stitching on the inside. She picked it up, placing it against her nose as she took in a large whiff. The vender stared at her oddly, side eyeing her as if she were crazy. She hugged the jacket and then snapped her head up, holding it out excitedly as she spoke to the vender.

"How much?"

"Ten doubloons." The vender grunted.

Quickly Emma reached into her pockets, searching for money. However, her search came up with nothing. Emma frowned, taking a second search before she looked back up to the vender.

"Can I owe you?" She sounded too hopeful.

"I'd rather take a swim with sharks." The vender shook his head and reached out for the jacket.

Emma moved away quickly, taking to begging as she clung to the jacket. Mulan stood behind her, ready to jump in before anything got out of hand.

"Please? I always keep my promises. Pirates always keep their promises." Again with the hopeful look, flashing the vender a pretty smile.

"No. Give me the jacket." Again he reached out, but Emma jumped back again.

She was about to make a bolt for it, but Mulan cut her off and jerked the jacket from her hands. Mulan quickly gave the jacket back to the vender and apologized, turning to grab Emma and pull her through the crowd.

"You can't keep doing things like that or we'll be dead before we can even think to save your friends." Mulan chastised, shaking her head as she dragged Emma along the stalls with her.

"Goodbye jacket. Soon you will be mine," Emma promised with a wave. She sent a glare at the vendor and then took a few steps after Mulan, twirling once as if to get out of the way of something only she could see. "Whoa mate," Emma said as she got her footing again, which wasn't really saying much due to the new sway in her step.

"And how do you suppose we do that? We barely have enough on the boat to sell for supplies, and half of that is too heavy for the both of us to carry. We would have to hire some men, but the cost of that would make it so-" Mulan stopped talking when Emma put a finger to her lips. Emma was quiet for a second as if to listen for something, and then she put her finger down. "What-"

"Sh."

Mulan hated being shushed. Emma's eyes got a new glint to them and then she took a direct turn away from her. Mulan took a step forward and then had to sprint once Emma broke out into a run. "Emma?! EMMA!" She was getting looks, but she didn't care. She saw Emma push past people, and she knocked over a man who had a bowl of something in his hand. Mulan didn't have time to apologize for the blonde. "EMMA!" she called out again. The blonde stopped as if to hear her. "What on-"

Emma clapped a hand on Mulan's shoulder. "How much money do you have?"

"I think... Two gold and a dubloon, why?"

"Give it to me."

"No. I refuse to allow you to gamble-"

"Too late, the boy has it." Emma said with a shrug.

Mulan spun and drew her sword.

"Oh, now you've done it, Boy," Emma said. She clucked her tongue.

"Which boy?" Mulan barked, her eyes scanning the street. There were boys everywhere.

However, before Emma could answer, Mulan's eyes spotted a boy running quickly away, dodging past men and women, and nearly knocking a few people over. She quickly took off after him, leaving Emma behind to catch up. The blonde quickly began her own running. The only difference was the fact that Emma had a smile on her face as she ran after the two. She quickly caught up with Mulan, smiling down at the woman as they ran.

"This is fun!" Emma yelled, waving her hands in the air for added effect. Mulan just narrowed her eyes, keeping her concentration on the pick pocketing child.

"This is not fun. I should be buying things we need, not running after a thief." Aggravation was clearly evident in her tone.

Emma only chuckled, keeping pace with Mulan with ease. Mulan was gaining ground on the boy and Emma found herself amused, laughing out loudly every now and then. Mulan cast her a few sideways glances, only to look back at the boy again and find that he had tripped over something. He fell to the streets with a cry, money flying from every pocket in his clothes, and perhaps a few other hidden places.

"Oh look! Money!" Emma hollered, sounding giddy and child like. There was a deep part of Emma, the part of her old self buried deep inside of her, that told her this was unusual. But the connection with Regina that had changed her was shouting over that other voice to ignore it. So instead of acting normally and reprimanding the boy for stealing, Emma launched herself to the ground to pick up the scattered money on the ground.

Mulan shook her head, sighing deeply at Emma before grabbing the boy by his arm and lifting him from the ground. "What made you think you could get away with stealing my money?" Mulan questioned, squeezing on the boy's arm and shaking a little. The boy glanced over at Emma, who was still grabbing at random pieces of money, ignoring the other people around her that stared her suspiciously.

"Well, I did warn you," Emma said. She counted out ten dubloons and pocketed them, found Mulan's little pouch, and then gathered about half of the rest into the largest money pouch the boy had. She handed this out the the boy. Mulan frowned at Emma when she realized that she was about to hand the boy the money back. "I want you to be a good boy take this to The Blue Fairy pub and tell him that the Sirens have Red."

"And what makes you think I will do that? What makes you think I won't just run-"

"Because my friend here is still angry that you tried to steal from her, and she might just kill you. There ain't no one here that appreciates a little rat, scurrying, scurrying..." Emma trailed off. There was a glint in her eye now as her mind took her elsewhere.

"Emma," Mulan said harshly, which brought her back. Emma looked to the boy.

"Also, I have the rest of your money, and I know you won't forget that. You go do that, you get the rest of your money, and we part ways, yeah?"

"How will I know who to tell?"

"He will be the only one who's angry when you say it in the pub. Now move, boy, or I might just have fun shopping with all this jingle in my hand."

The boy ran off as told, glaring back at Emma a couple of times, which she didn't notice. She smiled at the money as she made it jingle some more. "Keep that up and that won't be the first thief we deal with today, and the next one won't be so small," Mulan warned the blonde. "Speaking of, why did you just let him go? What did you have him do?"

"I sent him after Peter," Emma said as she walked away from Mulan, back to where they had started. They were back at the clothing stall, where the merchant sighed at the sight of her. Emma took the ten dubloons from her pocket and slammed them in the man's hand before snatching up the red jacket. As she put the jacket on, she continued, "He owes me, and he loves Red, so we can use what supplies he can bring with him."

"And for the rest?" Mulan asked, following after Emma as they once more went back to where they had parted ways with the boy. She was very tired of this running around, and she needed food, ale and full night of sleep.

Emma took out two gold coins from the rest of the pickpocket's remaining money. "Starter," she said with a grin. Then she walked to the center of a small group. "I play winner, doubles," she said, placing the two gold coins amist the silver and bronze ones. No one would say no to it, she knew.

"New game, one eyed jacks are wild," the man at the table said gruffly, though he wasn't a large man, but he didn't look helpless either.

"Perfect," Emma replied. "But first..." Emma paused for a second, staring at the men, all seven of whom only stared back at here. "Alright. Let's play," she said. No one knew what the long pause had been about, but Mulan had her guess.

Almost an hour later, Emma had not only the seven men glaring at her, but the man doing the dealing as well. She had not only doubled, but tripled the money she had gotten from the boy. Mulan had stood behind her the whole time, sweating nervously. She had been sure Emma was about to lose all of that money. She had been completely wrong. Instead, Emma won game after game after game. The blonde had even been accused of cheating, but she had proven she'd done no such thing. It was the last game, seeing as all the men had lost all of their money, and Emma swung her arms in the air and clapped as the gruff man declared thar she had won yet again.

"I love games! Magnificent fun!" Emma said as she gathered up all of her winnings, shoving it all into a bag.

It was as she tried to fit all of the money into the bag that Henry returned with Peter. The boy tapped on Emma's shoulder, making her jump and nearly drop everything. She quickly caught it though, teetering on her feet before standing still. She tied the top of the bag before she gave the boy her attention.

"Where's Peter?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at the boy.

"Right here." Peter said, walking up behind the boy.

Emma smiled and took a step closer to Peter before shoving the boy aside. "Peter! Good to see you!" She threw her arms around the man to hug him.

There was an alarmed look on Peter's face, telling Mulan that this was not the typical Emma. The man looked pale as Emma finally let go of him. She took a step back, grinning up at him as she folded her arms.

"Emma? Emma, what happened to Red?" Peter questioned, eyes wide as he looked Emma over.

"Red? Red…she us…Red…The Siren Queen…" Emma's eyes glazed over at this point, her throat closing up and her chest feeling oddly tight. She stared off into space, lost in her own crazed mind.

Mulan took this moment to step in, a serious look on her face. "I helped Emma get out of there, but her friends and my crew…." Mulan did her own pause, but continued. "And I'm assuming this Red person is important to you, but I'm sorry to say that she has been captured by The Siren Queen. The entire ship was captured, but somehow Emma escaped." Mulan stopped talking, eyes cutting sideways to Emma. She was still standing stark still, not blinking or moving a muscle. "Emma? Emma?" Mulan shoved at her shoulder, but the blonde still didn't move.

Peter took a step up then, sucking in a breath as he kept his tears at bay. He took Emma by the shoulders, shaking her violently. "Emma! Wake up damn it!" He shook her once more before Emma snapped back into reality, blinking rapidly. "Emma! "We need to get a crew and her ship." He lets go of Emma's shoulder briefly to gesture towards Mulan. "We have to go save Red. Red and your family, Emma."

Emma nodded, swallowing back the lump in her throat. She was silent for a moment before stepping back and slipping back into that odd personality yet again. Mulan began to wonder if this would ever be fixed.

"Yes, well, that's why I'm here. And I just won all of this money, so we're not hurting for it. Now let's get a crew together!" Emma turned to the seven men she had just won all of the money from, a grin spreading her lips wide. The men stared at her with frowns, all of them obviously not happy with her. Emma seemed to be ignorant of this fact.

"What say you to joining my crew, huh? There will be lots of rum!" Emma wiggled her eyebrows, knowing full well such an offer would appeal to these seven men.

One of the men stepped forward, an unpleasant scowl on his face. "How much rum?" He asked, sounding skeptical.

"All of the rum you desire." Emma tilted her head and grinned even wider, if possible.

The man was quiet for a moment, looking back at the others before giving his attention back to Emma. After another second or two of pause, a smile formed on the man's face and he held out his hand. "You have a deal, sister."

"Great!" Emma enthusiastically shook the man's hand and then turned to Peter. "Well, that's seven! Now let's go back to your pub and find some more." She quickly turned to make her way down the street, strutting confidently with a swagger.

Peter watched after her for a moment, shaking his head. He turned to Mulan and frowned. "What happened to her?" He questioned before following after Emma.

Mulan frowned in thought. She wasn't rightly sure herself, but she knew for certain it had to do with the Siren Queen and the necklace. She can't seem to fill in why Emma's mind had gotten so strange. "I don't know if I understand it myself," Mulan admitted.

"You said that she escaped the Siren Queen. How?"

"I don't know," Mulan said again. "But she is under her spell. Strange, though, that Emma had received that necklace from her while she was still on my boat. There is some sort of curse on her now, and I know it has to do with her, but why? Why curse her after giving her a necklace meant to protect her?"

"Don't dally!" Emma sang behind her.

"I wanna be on your crew!" the voice of the boy, forgotten once she had given him his promised money, said suddenly. Emma looked down at him.

"How old are you?"

"Ten."

"Oh. I'm twenty-eight." Emma replied, and then continued walking.

"Stop for a minute!"

"No time boy-"

"My name is Heny, not Boy, and I want to be in your crew!"

"What do you know about being on a ship, huh? You think it is all sunshine and blue sky? You think sword fighting would be fun? Well it is, actually- But no place for you. You've got your money, now leave." Emma pushed him out of her way with a small spank and Henry left with almost a pout. "Are you two STILL lagging behind? I say, if you don't keep up, I will take your ship and do it all myself," Emma said, more to herself than to Peter and Mulan.

"Where are we off to?" one of the seven men asked.

"Don't know, my man. Don't know."

"Surely we're getting supplies. Rum?"

"YES! Rum. I like you. What is your name my man?"

"Grumpy."

"Yes..." Emma said, looking over the man. "The name suits you. Well, we need a few good- Helllllo..." Emma looked over to her right, and paused. She eye the small woman in the stall appretiatively, as did Grumpy. "Well now, maps. We know where she lives, yes, but maps! We can get never go wrong with a good one of those, isn't that right, deary?"

The woman smiled somewhat shyly. "No."

Emma looked at a few of the maps, as did Mulan.

Every now and then Emma would look up at the girl sitting in the stall and smile. She was scoping the girl, getting a feel of her. Something told her she would be right for their crew.

"How much do you know about these maps?" Emma questioned.

"Oh, everything. Maps and books are my life. I study these every day." There was a longing behind the girls words, a longing Emma could somewhat understand.

"So you would say you're pretty good at reading these then?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Good. Then how interested would you be in sailing with us? Have a bit of an adventure?" At Emma's question, Mulan's head snapped up. She stared at the girl, thinking she would not be well suited for a life on a ship. However, the girl looked absolutely blown away by the question.

"I would give anything!" The girl responded, jumping from her seat.

Emma chuckled. "You don't have to give much. Just a few of these maps, that's all."

Before the girl could answer, Mulan stepped in. "Emma. Are you sure we should bring her along? We are, after all, going after the Siren Queen. It's dangerous." Mulan's tone was a warning.

The girl jumped in again though, a serious look on her face. "I am not afraid of danger. And I know how to read these maps very well. And my sense of direction is phenomenal. I would be of good use to you."

Emma smacked her hands together in happiness and gave a nod of her head. "Then come with us!" And without another word, the blonde grabbed a few maps and began her walk towards the pub once again.

She stopped mid stride though and turned towards the girl. "What's your name?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Belle."

"Oh! Pretty name! Suits you! Mine's Emma! Now come! We need more ship mates."

Emma started for her destination once again, determination in her stride. "At least tell me where you're going this time," Mulan stated gruffly, grabbing Emma's arm.

"Let's see here...We got that lot, a map reader, and a captain- That would be you, Love. Your boat, you see. We got a mad swordswoman- That would be me. We need more for a good crew - at least two, wouldn't you say? Someone could help with repairs, yeah?" she said. For the first time since this new version of Mulan's reluctant friend had arrived, Emma locked eyes with her. It startled the woman, especially when Emma told her that she was to be the captain. Though it was true, the ship was technically hers, she herself had little authority before on the SS Storybrooke, and she wasn't sure what kind of captain she could be. Emma reached up and patted Mulan's shoulder. "We got a fine crew. All we need now is-" Emma stopped, and then smiled after her eyes flickered behind Mulan. "Them."

Mulan looked behind her where she saw a man who was a woodcarver and carpenter, who was deminstrating how to use the hammer he held in his hand to a young man of sandy blonde hair. Mulan assumed this was his apprentice. "Them?"

"Yes."

Mulan sighed. "Alright then. Get them recruited and I will see if Peter can help us find food and rest for tonight. You and I will come up with some sort of plan to get back to the Siren Queen and your family... and maybe some of my men if any are left. Tomorrow, we load up and sail, hear me?"

"Ay Captain." Emma said with a salute. Mulan walked over to Peter and began to speak to him about lodging and food for their newly recruited people. Mulan was confident that Emma's winnings was more than enough to get what they needed for a two month journey, but Mulan wasn't even sure if the SS Storybrooke would make it that long. Even so, Peter spoke about supplies and items he could sell from his own time as an ally of Emma's crew. That alone would cut the costs almost in half.

Emma swayed slightly and held out her hand to the two men. "You two."

"Excuse me?" the carpenter asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde with interest.

"You're- You're perfect!"

"Perfect for what?" the apprentice asked with a small amused smile.

"We need a carpenter, and here I am, standing in front of two."

"Where do you need a carpenter?"

"On our ship-"

"I don't work for pirates."

"A shame," Emma said. The apprentice looked uncomfortable.

"For how long?" he asked, which earned him a sharp cuff on the back of his head from his mentor.

"WE don't WORK with PIRATES," the man stressed.

"But August-"

"No. I will not go out to sea again."

"I know you had your rough times with whales and all, but you were just saying-"

"Oh NOW you wish yo listen to me, James-"

Emma stepped between the two of the men, her chest against August's. She smirked. "Nice wood."

James choked on his own tongue.

"Now, I would love to listen to that tale, but we're in a bit of a hurry to settling in for the evening and we need to get out of the market before it gets dark." Her gaze turned to August, and she tilted her head slightly. "Please. We need you."

"I. Don't. Work. For-"

"Pirates, I know. But right now, I am not a pirate. Hell, I'm barely a person right now in case you haven't noticed. I am someone who is trying to get her family back and lift whatever it is that has me... like this. I promise you that if you don't die, it shouldn't be more than a month."

"If I don't die?"

"I can't promise you that Poseidon won't be fierce, or that the woman who has my family, my heart and my mind won't leave you unharmed, but if you would rather your last day be filled with wood shavings and sheep and little else, I can leave you right here."

"I don't want to die a shepherd. A-And a wood carver isn't much better of a profession- no offence," James said. "I'll join if he won't," he decided. He looked ready to duck another blow, but none came.

"I promised your mother that I would care for you. If you are going, then I must go," he said, almost through gritted teeth. "If you die..."

"Then I will have died on a quest, woudln't I? I'd almost be a hero. I wouldn't be a shepherd."

"There are worst things in life to be," Emma said softly, unsure if the men heard her. She brightened though. "RIGHT! We have a lovely crew. Lovely!" She hurried to Mulan and placed a hand on her shoulder. After listing off all of the people, her face turned. "Oh..."

"What is it?" Mulan asked.

"Er- We're going to be a crew of thirteen," Belle spoke up.

"Oh," Mulan said with a face full of worry. For a ship that is about to go back up against the Siren Queen, this was not good. Pirates had always been a suspicious bunch and the number thirteen settled well with no one.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Emma stood still and quiet next to the mass of the ship, her hands holding the shrouds. She twisted the ropes in her hands for a moment before she began her work of wrapping the rope around a hold. She was mellow for the moment, but only because she was focused on something. Everyone on the ship was busy with something, but she paid no mind to them. They had all gotten their rest the night before and had taken sail early in the morning. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits except for Emma. Considering how her behavior had been since the incident with the necklace, she was eerily quiet.

Mulan watched Emma for a moment, finding it scary to see her so…distant. After a moment, she approached the blonde, laying a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Emma, are you alright?"

Emma was quiet for a moment, continuing her work with the rope. After a silent minute, her head turned to Mulan. "I want you to promise me something." She began, eyes locking with Mulan's intensely.

"Sure. What do you need?" Mulan questioned, already concerned by Emma's removed tone.

"If things go wrong. If…if something bad happens. I want you to promise you'll leave me with Regina."

Mulan's dark eyes widened and she took a step back. "Why would I do that?" She asked, anger starting to rise in her chest. It sounded like Emma was just giving up.

"Because I can't stand this. I can't stand the feeling in the pit of my stomach that has been there since we sailed away. It's too much to bare." Emma's eyes looked worn and sad, and her head turned back to watch her own hands work the rope.

"Emma, I cannot promise that. I will not leave you with the Siren Queen. It's an absurd promise to make and I will not leave you behind with some evil….witch." Mulan growled the last word, lip curling into a sneer.

Emma shook her head and patted Mulan on the back. "You have to leave me behind if things get bad or even worse. If I sail away from her again it will only make my mind that much more crazy. I do not wish to live a life where I cannot act as I always have. This persona, or whatever is wrong with me, it's not me. I am not of sound mind and if I am not of sound mind, then I prefer to be left with Regina. I need to be near her." Her last words took on a desperate tone, making Mulan fear the worst.

"We can save you. We will not leave you behind. I will not…"

Emma cut Mulan off, giving her the smallest of smiles. "There is no saving me now that Regina has my heart. I would rather be left behind than act this crazy for the rest of my life. And I cannot guarantee that if you don't leave me behind I will not try something absolutely ridiculous to relieve myself of this burden." The blonde's green eyes became intense then, telling Mulan that she was serious.

After a long moment of gritting her teeth and internally cursing, Mulan gave a short nod. "Fine. If things go wrong then we will leave you behind. But things will not go wrong!"

Emma looked Mulan over. The other woman was a great person, and she told her this. "You're wonderful," was all she said. In the grand scheme of things, Mulan didn't know her, but she was loyal to her. Emma pledged her own loyalty to the woman, which was why she was so willing to work under Mulan's captaincy. She had saved her, and she had put up with her. Emma wasn't sure if, were their roles reversed, she would do the same. "Did I ever tell you thank you or saving my life? For... For being here for me now? Of all the plunders in my life, of all the treasures I have sought, I don't think there is anything more precious than the person that you are."

"Stop it," Mulan said, turning away from her. There was a hint of pink in her cheeks.

Emma watched her every now and again from her tasks, while Mulan's gaze went over to the people on the ship. "So we've got... Grumpy there as boatswain, though I don't know if he should be allowed near my- er, OUR rum. Belle, up in the crows nest- reading, no doubt. Why can't we get a book away from that one?"

"Ah, as long as she does the rest of her job, I don't care what she is doing up there," Mulan replied. She looked over to August and Peter, who were going over some of the things that needed to be repaired but could wait, and David was hauling a large box of goods from one side of the ship into the cabin. "We need a cook."

"Sneezy volunteered."

"You're going to allow someone named Sneezy to cook food?"

"It's your call, love, but there were no other hands raised," Emma said. "And you wouldn't want me or Peter near the food."

"Alright," Mulan said with a sigh. She turned to Emma again. "We don't have a plan."

"No, I suppose we don't."

"We don't have a plan, and we are already an unlucky ship. Emma-"

"WHOA!" came a shout. "Intruder!" It was a word that put both Emma and Mulan into action. In a couple of swift movements, both women were next to David, who was looking inside a barrel. "Come out of there." David said, though he sounded less severe than the look upon Mulan's face.

Slowly, a sandy blonde head popped up, looking somewhat guilty when his eyes landed on Emma.

Emma narrowed her green eyes and frowned, grabbing the boy from under the arms and lifting him from the barrel. "What in Davey Jones' name do you think you're doing, boy?" She questioned, setting the kid down on his feet, but keeping a grip on his shirt.

"I told you I wanted to sail with you." Henry challenged, trying to stand up straight and move away from Emma's grip.

Emma only held on tighter. "And I told you that you couldn't come. You're too young, boy. Do you wanna die here at sea?" Her tone was harsh and she bit down on her tongue. What were they going to do with this boy?

Henry shook his head at her question, but continued anyway. "I have nowhere else to go. I don't have any family, so no one back there would miss me. I want to have an adventure too, so I just hid here." Henry's words came out rushed, jumbling together most of the time. The look in Emma's eyes was scaring him.

The boy's words hit home for Emma, and Mulan could see that by the way her face fell from harsh to sad in an instant. She was quiet then, letting go of the boy's shirt. Henry fell backwards a bit but caught himself. Mulan stepped up next to Emma, eyes darting from her to the boy and back. "What are going to do?" She asked, trying to look Emma in the eye.

Emma seemed to snap out of something and she smiled deliriously at Mulan. "We're gonna let him stay. You said we had an unlucky ship right? Well, with this boy on ship we have fourteen instead of thirteen. So, unlucky we are not! Wonderful!" She clapped Mulan on the back and then turned to Henry. "Welcome aboard, boy. But watch yourself around these men. One of them might want to throw you overboard." With that, she winked and then walked off towards the ropes she had been messing with earlier

Mulan and Henry both watched Emma; a scared look was on Henry's face while Mulan looked concerned. She wasn't sure having Henry on the boat with them was such a good idea, but her superstition got the best of her. With fourteen on their ship, they would no longer be unlucky. Begrudgingly Mulan allowed it, turning to Henry and staring down at him.

"Make one wrong move or try to steal something again and I will throw you overboard. Unlucky number be damned. Make no mistakes about that. Now go swab the deck."

Henry nodded and took off at a run, clearly taking Mulan very seriously. A wise move indeed.

And so the ship got off to the right start, other than the fact that Sneezy's cooking wasn't the best in the world, but Emma seemed to enjoy it. Or at least, she was able to fake it better than the rest. Belle let the man borrow one of her books that had sections on cooking, and she tended to Mulan, who got the most upset from the food. Emma took up being captain for two days, but refused to let the title leave the front of her name afterwards. Mulan didn't bother arguing for very long, and made it known that she may keep the title as long as the final order still came from her. This earned her a salute. The final day was a busy one for Emma, Mulan and Belle, who had shouted their destination was near. The three women went to work tying up the men, including Henry just in case, and then when they were all secure, Emma leaned back next to David so that Mulan could tie her up as well. The two women shared a look, and Emma winked at her.

The rocks drew nearer, and Mulan could hear the soft sound of the Sirens. Emma recognized Ruby's voice, and so could Peter if his sudden shouting said anything. The other men weren't as loud, but they were determined to go towards the rock. If they hadn't been headed in that direction, there was no telling just what the men would have said to her. Emma after a while let her head lean back. "Regina. My queen, my heart..." she said softly. Sadly, Mulan realized this was as sane as Emma had been since her curse began. She moved wildly about the boat, shouting orders and directing Belle, and then she squinted off into the distance when she noticed that the Sirens had gone quiet. The men had as well. All was still, save the splashing water and the wind at their sails.

"Captain..." Belle asked softly.

Mulan shook her head. She didn't know either. As they got closer, she noticed a lone figure on the rocks. The Sirens were now gone. The figure waved madly at them. "Belle. Go down to the cabin and grab my telescope."

"I have this one, if you need it," she offered, taking the small one that was at her hip, tied with her belt. She handed it to Mulan when the woman held out her hand, and watched as her captain glanced into it.

"He's waving us in. I recognize him. He was on the shore when Emma jumped in the water and swam to the ship the last time we were here." Mulan watched as the man pointed over towards what appeared to be a dock. "Alright, we have a place to go. I assume he was the one to reign the Sirens in, but I am still unsure about this." She walked over to Emma and spoke to her now, even as the blonde's head was dropped onto her shoulder. "The Siren Queen gave you that necklace to protect you. She wouldn't harm you, but we should still take you with me. Belle, you watch over the men, and have that man stay on the ship."

"Aye, captain," Belle replied.

Mulan went to work untying Emma, who began to squirm slightly. "Stop it," she ordered the blonde. "We will be with Regina in a moment, but I need to make sure this isn't a trap."

The mentioning of Regina's name made Emma stop squirming. She stood as still as possible and let Mulan untie her. When she was free, Emma took off running, leaving Mulan behind. Mulan sighed and took off at a run as well, catching up with Emma quickly. She grabbed the blonde by her arm and stopped her, jerking her back. Emma swung at her, yelling obscenities. Mulan ducked the hit and then grabbed Emma by her shoulders.

"Stop it! Stop it right now. Snap out of it. You will see her, just wait." Mulan yelled, squeezing Emma's shoulders hard.

Emma winced and sighed, sagging visibly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just…I can feel her. She's so close and I need to see her it. It hurts not to see her."

Mulan closed her eyes for a moment, unable to see Emma this broken. "I know it does, but we need to talk to him first." Mulan pointed towards the man standing at the dock. "We have to talk to him and save your family."

Emma nodded and Mulan mimicked the action, turning Emma around and walking calmly with her off the ship and onto the dock. Meeting Graham at the end of the dock, Mulan gave him a nod, but noticed that he looked rather worried. She let go of Emma and took another step towards Graham, leaning forward to whisper to him.

"There's something wrong with her. It needs to be fixed." She said, looking up at Graham with narrowed eyes.

"She isn't the only one who has something wrong with her." Graham began, eyes cutting to Emma now and then. He leaned further towards Mulan, voice dropping almost below a whisper. "Regina, she is not herself. There is something very wrong and it needs to be fixed." Graham gave nothing else, no details, no more explaining. Mulan narrowed her eyes even further as she clenched her jaw.

"There's something you aren't telling me."

"It is not my place to be telling you every detail. All you need to know is that Regina needs help and Emma may be the only one who can do it."

Emma's head snapped up at the sound of Regina's name. She turned to the talking pair, catching the end of Graham's sentence. Her eyes went completely wide, breath catching in her throat. "What's wrong with Regina? What is wrong with her?" Emma's voice was loud and shaky as she approached Graham, grabbing the collar of his shirt and gripping tightly. "What. Is. Wrong…with Regina?"

Graham was going to answer, but Emma gave him no time. Instead of standing there and waiting, she turned and took off at a sprint. Mulan and Graham watched her as she took the steps up the hill to the castle two at a time. Graham turned to Mulan, a questioning look on his face.

"She hasn't been right since we sailed away." Mulan sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. There was a moment of silence before Mulan cut to the chase. "We want her family back. And my men."

Graham nodded, but looked guilty as his eyes moved to the ground. "Her family is safe, but there are very few men left from your ship." Looking up at Mulan, an apologetic look took over his features. "I'm sorry."

Mulan clenched her fists and ground her teeth together. She said nothing else as they both turned to watch Emma continue her run towards the castle.

Emma was breathing heavily, trying hard to keep her aching legs to continue. It was hard running up all of those steps, but whatever got her to Regina as fast as possible, she would do it. It felt like a million years before she finally reached the castle. She threw courtesy out the window and burst through the front doors. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked around the empty room. Regina was close, she could feel it. It didn't matter that she didn't know where Regina was, she would find her. The connection between them told her she would.

It took her but another second to continue her run. Her legs felt shaky and she could barely breath, but she continued anyway. Emma skidded around a corner and down a hall, following the way her heart told her to. She lost count of just how many turns and corridors she took, but it felt like too many. Emma almost passed some very ornate double doors, but she halted just as she ran past them. Slowly she turned around, blood rushing in her ears as she took a few steps towards them. 'She's in here!' Her mind yelled at her, making her heart stop completely.

Slowly she reached for the doors, swinging them open a second later. Her green eyes searched the room and stopped when they fell on the figure standing at the large open window. Emma breath caught in her throat as she recognized the Siren Queen, her Queen. She took a few steps forward, her hand stretching out almost involuntarily. "Regina." She whispered, nearly crying at the sight of Regina standing bathed in the sunlight pouring through the window. "Regina." Emma whispered one more time, gaining the smallest of turns from the other woman. It was as their eyes met that Emma felt relief wash through her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The relief didn't last too long, for right away both women saw that something was wrong. "Regina," Emma said again. She reached out her hand to touch the darker woman, who otherwise didn't seem to acknowledge her presence even as she looked right at her. It was the strangest and scariest thing. Emma took Regina's face in her hand and gently manipulated it to move towards her own. A tear fell down her face as she brought the woman into her. Emma kissed her cheek and lips. "Something's wrong," she said. "There were two, you know. Two of them. Now? Only one. Something's wrong my love, and I-"

"It's gone," Regina said, stopping Emma's scared babbling. "My heart, she took it," she continued. For a moment, there seemed to be nothing else forthcoming.

"Regi-"

"My mother. She took my heart, Emma."

Emma leaned back slightly, allowing her to fully look at the Siren Queen. "I don't understand," Emma admitted.

"No... I don't suppose you would."

Regina pulled Emma closer, pressing their bodies together as close as possible. A sigh of relief escaped her as she felt Emma's heart pounding in her chest. She felt whole with Emma pressed to her like that, but the sensation did not last for long. Quickly Regina placed a kiss to Emma's lips before pulling away from her. Emma shuddered and immediately missed the contact.

"My mother has always been a terrible woman." Regina began, turning her back to Emma and staring out of the window at the sea. "Everything she has done has always been for her own gain. She is selfish and cruel, and this time was no different."

Emma took a few steps toward Regina, reaching out to place the palm of her hand on her back. There was no reaction, and it broke Emma's heart to pieces. Before she could even think to speak, Regina continued.

"She came and took my heart. She ripped it right out of my chest. I don't know why she took it, but I need to find out. I need my heart back, Emma. I cannot live like this." Regina waved a hand over herself, tears forming in her eyes. She could not control herself, not without her heart. Tears fell, but she barely noticed them. "I need your help." Regina felt anger at needing to ask for help, but none of it registered on her face.

Emma nodded, bringing herself closer to Regina once more as she wiped the tears on her face away. "I will help you, Regina. I will find your heart, even if it kills me."

Emma felt rather than heard Regina's sharp intake. "If you die, then I do not need my heart." It was a matter of fact statement, even without Regina's usual bite.

"What do you need me to do?" Emma asked softly. The hand not on Regina moved to her red jacket and then upwards towards the necklace that had been given to her. She wondered briefly if maybe it protected her from more than the rough seas. "Tell me, and I will do it. I have tried going up against you, and I too lost my heart, so tell me how to get it back."

Regina turned to Emma then. "Do you want it back?"

Emma was silent. Any rational part of her screamed that yes, she wanted it back, but the part of her that has overtaken everything forced her head to shake. "I mean, yes, I do. I mean... Perhaps you may have had my heart if only you'd asked for it?" Emma asked.

"And what about you? Did you ask for my heart before my mother ripped it away?" Regina asked. Emma and Regina remained silent for a moment.

"The possession of one's heart doesn't leave behind such a madness, does it?"

Regina let out a harsh laugh, but she did not speak.

"I don't- I don't like myself like this."

"Nor I like this."

"So, we go after your mother then?" Emma asked, even though it had already somewhat been established. Regina nodded.

"What about my family?"

"I suspect Graham has them all freed by now. Notice the stillness of the water," Regina said. Emma moved her hand up to Regina's shoulder and then down her arm to the darker woman's hand. She put Regina's hand to her own heart.

"Then with your hand upon my heart- which I know beats in time with yours- I swear to you that I will retrieve your heart. And afterwards, should you want it, you may have mine as well. But please, I need my mind. I need it back."

"I don't know what I can promise," Regina said honestly. She concentrated on the thumps against her fingertips. "All I know is that I will try to reverse the spell."

Emma was about to say something else- to take back the fact that she wanted Regina to give the blonde her heart back, but a knock on the door to Regina's room sounded, as did a shout or two above them on deck.

"What is it?" Regina growled at the door, frustration evident in her brown eyes.

Graham entered the room quickly, shutting the door behind him. "I've released her family, but they're causing an uproar. I apologize for interrupting you, My Queen, but we need her to calm her family down. Otherwise, a fight will ensue and I would rather neither side be hurt." His voice was strained and ladled with concern.

Regina nodded and turned her head back to Emma. "Go calm your family down. We will need them."

A nervous look passed over Emma's features and she bit her lip. "It will be hard convincing them. You know that, right?"

"I am aware of that."

Emma sucked in a breath before letting it out slowly. "I will try my best."

"That is all I ask for." Regina whispered, leaning in to place a chaste kiss to Emma's lips. When she leaned back, she took a step away from Emma, cutting off all contact. "Now go. Get your family and have your ship ready."

Emma nodded and turned before she could miss the contact between them entirely. She passed Graham without so much as a glance, hearing him say something to Regina before following after her. Emma quickly ran towards the noise, following the sound of Ruby and Mary Margaret's voices. It was as she turned a corner that she found the two of them, and the rest of her family, pointing swords at the Sirens.

"Mary Margaret! Red!" Emma called, catching the attention of not only the two women, but her entire family. Their eyes went wide as soon as they saw her. Mary Margaret turned and ran towards her while Ruby grinned widely at her.

"Nice jacket." Ruby commented, throwing her a wink. "And it's good to know you're still alive." She threw in afterwards, before turning to face the Sirens again.

Mary Margaret slammed into her body, flinging her arms around the blonde and sobbing. "Emma! I thought you were dead! I was sure the Siren Queen had killed you. I'm so glad you're alive! I missed you!" The brunette continued to babble, making Emma entirely uncomfortable. It was especially heartbreaking knowing the news she would have to break to them.

Emma finally broke away from the woman she thought of as a mother, smiling nervously as she freed herself from her tight grip. "I missed you, too." She said.

"What's the matter?" Mary Margaret questioned, already concerned with the look on Emma's face.

"I'll tell you as soon as you all quit trying to kill them." Emma pointed to the Sirens. That gained her a surprised look from everyone staring at her.

"Why would we do that?" Ruby asked, anger evident in her tone. "They kidnapped us and turned us into one of them. We need to kill them and then go after the Queen!"

"NO!" Emma shouted, cutting off what Mary Margaret was about to throw in as well. They all stood with their mouths open, completely speechless. "I will not let kill the Queen. You will not touch her or go anywhere near her." Emma face was turning red with each passing second.

"What did she do to you?" Mary Margaret asked, her face pale from fright. She reached her hand out to Emma, but the blonde took a step back.

"She did nothing. I will not explain myself to you." Emma sucked in a breath, trying to calm her nerves. "I do have something else I need to explain though. The Siren Queen needs my help and that means that I need your help as well. Everyone's help, including the Queen's crew."

It was as the last words fell from her lips that everyone began talking at the same time, ranting at her and yelling. Chaos surrounded her as they switched between arguing amongst themselves and firing questions at Emma. Clearly no one was happy with what she had said, just as Emma had suspected. When the yelling became too much and she heard Graham shuffling behind her, Emma clapped her hands and whistled to get everyone's attention.

"Shut up! Everyone just shut up right this instant." Finally the voices stopped, giving the room a peaceful quiet. "I have a stake in this. The Queen needs something back and she needs our help. I swore I would help her and I refuse to go back on my word. So either we all work together and try to get along or I'm doing this alone. I will do anything and everything it takes to help her and nothing less." There was a finality in her words and it was thankfully enough to keep everyone quiet.

"And I am going with her," Regina said, coming up to the large group. Right away, Regina's Sirens quieted and nodded to their queen. With no one to argue with, seeing as the men who were the original crew of the SS Storybrooke remained quiet for most of this, Emma's crew slowly died down as well.

"I don't understand what is happening, but you came back for us," Ruby finally said. "We can't just abandon you."

"Then work with me. With us. It shouldn't be a long journey."

"It looks like you have your own crew now," Mary Margaret said, watching as Emma swayed towards Regina, but fought to keep her hands to herself.

"It's all of our crew if we just work together for a bit. Then we can go get another ship," Emma suggested. "Who knows, maybe we won't want to. Come on, everyone, I will introduce you all, and we can get going again," Emma said. She walked over to the SS Storybrooke, where Mulan lay in a few orders to their new found crew, who listened and obeyed. The men who had been on shore seemed less inclined to do so, as Mulan was one of the lowest ranking members on deck before they had been affected by the Sirens, despite being the ship's best warrior. Emma saluted Mulan with a grand gesture. "Permission to come on board, Captain?" she asked.

"You know you do," Mulan said, and Emma detected a hint of a smile on her face. Emma helped Regina onto the boat, and Graham and the Sirens followed after them. Soon, all of Emma's family were with them, and three groups stood facing each other.

"Everyone, this is your captain, Mulan. She's amazing. I'm Captain Emma Swan, but I don't give orders. I just like the name, you see." This earned a chuckle from one of the newly gathered crew. Emma thought maybe it was from August. "I want you all to know that we're going out to a part of the sea that I don't think any of us have been to before. I don't know what to expect, but it will make these waters seem like walking on air. I am glad to see that you are coming with, as I will need your help, but I don't blame you if you decide to leave at any time. No one will."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going after Regina's mother."

Those that belonged to Regina gasped. They knew a little bit about what to expect, having seen the woman in the castle days ago. There were murmurs, and a small sob from Nova. Grumpy looked over to her, but he didn't say anything, just gave a small look of encouragement. "She has something of mine and I need to give it back. It has been agreed that once this is returned, I will have Emma back to... how she was. This is why she is doing this. This is why she needs your help," Regina said. Once she did, Emma's family seemed to calm a little and to understand.

Mulan spoke up then. "We need to gather any supplies that we can from here. I don't know how long we are at sail, but we only have enough on this ship to last a crew of thirteen for more days."

"Aye, Captain," Emma said, and she began to move. Seeing Emma take orders from Mulan set an example, and others went into action as well.

"I want to set sail as soon as possible!" Mulan called after them.

"Aye, Captain!" Emma said over her shoulder.  
_

Four more days passed with fairly smooth sailing. There were fights here and there, but thankfully it was mostly peaceful. Most of the fights were about the rum quickly disappearing. All fingers were pointed to Grumpy ninety-nine percent of the time. Friendships were started among the ship, maybe even a few relationships here and there. Secrets and rumors were whispered of this person sleeping with another person, but nothing was ever really confirmed. Mary Margaret kept her eyes on Emma, watching her around Regina. It was odd the way she just seemed to gravitate to her, like Regina was a magnet of some kind. There was a connection between them and it made Mary Margaret wonder just exactly what Regina's mother had taken.

Thankfully though, she had found someone to take her mind off of things for at least a little while. Mary Margaret had taken to James fairly quickly, his looks appealing to her as well as his loyal personality. It was with very little persuasion that James talked Mary Margaret into teaching him sword fighting. She had obliged with a large smile on her face. They had started the second day of their sailing and worked for hours without fail. Emma watched them, thinking Mary Margaret only did it because she found him good looking. It seemed to Emma that she was falling for James in a hurry. It was good news to her, considering it would help keep Mary Margaret's mind off of what was going on between her and Regina. She'd felt her eyes on her since they had set sail.

On the fourth day, Emma sat down with Grumpy to share a bottle of rum and catch a front row seat to watch Mary Margaret start her teaching with James. She had reluctantly left Regina in the cabin of the ship, kissing her cheek before letting the sleeping woman rest. Regina had been doing quite a bit of sleeping, and Emma could only conclude that it had everything do with her missing heart. It was this dilemma that led her to drink an entire bottle of rum before actually venturing to find Grumpy. She had been swaying when she found him, but that didn't stop him from agreeing to drink with her. As she sat with Grumpy, fighting over who got the next sip from the bottle, Emma caught sight of Mary Margaret coming out from under the ship.

"There she is! Teach him something good today, M!" Emma hollered, waving the bottle of rum in the air and winking at her when Mary Margaret looked up.

Mary Margaret shook her head, trying desperately to hide the grin threatening to break out on her lips. "Keep your shirt on, Emma. I have something in mind for him today!" She called back, unsheathing her sword to examine it for a moment.

James appeared soon after, a smile on his face as he walked towards Mary Margaret. There was a glint in his eye that told Emma he was enjoying this for far more than learning swordsmanship. "I'm ready for the days lesson. Looking forward to it, actually." James said with a grin.

Mary Margaret looked up then, a crooked little smirk appearing on her mouth. "Glad to hear that because I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I'm excited to teach you."

James' eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Well, teach away, milady." He bowed, looking up to give a playful wink.

"Ohh," Emma let out after she handed Grumpy the empty bottle of rum. When the man tried to take a drink, he found it empty. He made a noise, but went to put the bottle away. The blonde looked at the helm, where Pete and Mulan spoke, and then she looked up towards the crow's nest. She could see Belle's hair, which was now down, whip across her face. Emma surveyed other parts of the ship and saw Ruby looking upwards at Belle as well, while next to her, Henry was helping the woman untangle some of the ropes. Nova and Graham were playing cards with two of the men from Mulan's original crew as well as August, and from the looks of it, Nova was winning. Emma watched as Grumpy came back with a handful of grapes, which were almost going bad. He threw them overboard, and the two of them watched as it got covered in the foam.

"How much further?" Grumpy asked.

"Don't know," Emma replied truthfully. Regina had told her that it might have been rough getting to Cora, but she didn't press it. Mostly, when she was there in Regina's arms, there was silence. There was something about Regina now that scared Emma. There was an emptiness to her as if all the fight she ever had in her was gone. Emma felt that any semblance of the former Siren Queen was taken with her, only to show brief glimpses when they lay together at night. They never spoke about what would happen once Emma got Regina her heart back. She just knew that this madness would cease, but part of her wondered if perhaps she'd fall for Regina regardless of magic.

"You know..." Grumpy said after another moment, "I don't know how I feel about all this." Emma didn't say anything. "I'm here all the way, but what are we up against? I mean, this is Regina's mother. She is the one who RAISED the Siren Queen. Who's to say we'll have a chance?"

"No one. No one promised it would be easy. No one said you wouldn't die."

There was another silence. "At least if I die, there will be some lovely sights before I do. Like that servant girl of Regina's. Nova. She's beautiful. If she had called to me without any powers, I'd still run into the rocks trying to get to her," he admitted.

"Is that the rum talking?" Emma teased.

"Probably, but I mean it," Grumpy admitted. Emma grinned and then walked away from him towards the card table. "Ho! NO!" Grumpy hurried after Emma and grabbed her arm with both of his hands. It took a bit of his strength to pull her back. "You say anything to her and you will regret it," he said, though both knew they were empty words. Emma let out a laugh and wobbled back to the side of the boat. Her stomach wasn't doing well. Looking around, she saw a couple of other people seemed a little sick as well.

"Something's wrong. I need to go check on Regina," Emma said, even as her hands gripped the side of the boat even harder.

Grumpy made no protest as he doubled over, one hand holding onto the side of the boat to steady himself. Emma pushed away and stumbled towards the entrance to the cabin. She leaned against the door for a moment, breathing heavily as the glass of the window felt cool against her skin. However, she moved her head from the window and opened the door, nearly throwing herself into the cabin of the ship. She barely got the door closed before she was calling out Regina's name.

"Regina? Are you alright?" Emma called out, her skin beginning to feel clammy and she moved herself forward slowly.

She heard Regina groan before she even saw her, and it made fear crawl into the pit of her stomach. That feeling only made Emma feel even more sick. She tried to move forward a little faster, but stumbled over her own feet. Emma barely caught herself on a wall as she started to fall forward. Her green eyes roamed around the room, finally landing on Regina's curled body on the bed.

"Regina!" Emma called, pushing herself off of the wall and shuffling towards the bed. Halfway there, she stopped and bent over, breathing in through her nose to keep from throwing up. Emma got a hold of herself and practically fell the rest of the way to the bed. She crawled in next to Regina, pulling her body closer to hers as she laid her head on Regina's shoulder.

"Emma." Regina breathed, her voice gravely and low.

"I'm right here," Emma began as she kissed the top of Regina's shoulder. A shiver ran through her body and her hold on Regina became tighter. "Are you…" Emma swallowed back the urge to vomit, her stomach rolling with pain. "Are you alright?" She questioned, her free hand smoothing through Regina's hair.

"No. I'm just as sick as you are." Regina hissed, her hands clenching tighter to her stomach as she, too, felt the urge to expel everything from her stomach.

"What's wrong with everyone?" Emma asked, feeling her body and Regina begin to shake. Quickly, she pulled the covers over the both of them and clung to Regina's body as closely as she could.

"M-Maleficent has a protection s-spell around her ship. It means we're close to hers." Regina responded, the shivering beginning to make her teeth chatter as she broke out into a sweat.

Emma's body fell into the same step with Regina's, the two of them shivering as they lay in the bed together. "W-Who is Maleficent?" She wondered out loud.

"She's an old….friend." Regina provided hesitantly. 'Friend' was not exactly the best word, though she was the closest friend Regina had.

"Why in bloody hell would she make anyone feel like this?"

"She's a-always had a s-sick sense of h-humor." Regina clamped her jaws together, trying to keep her teeth from chattering so much.

Emma groaned and shut her eyes tightly, clenching her own jaw together as well. "When w-will this p-pass?"

"W-whenever she f-figures out t-that we're n-not a threat. Which I c-cannot guarantee will happen."

"Why?" Emma inquired, her forehead leaning against the middle of Regina's shoulder blades.

"We d-did not part ways gently that last time we s-saw each other." A new wave of shivers hit Regina, and it rippled through Emma's body as well.

Emma said nothing else. There was nothing else to say. She only hoped that whoever this Maleficent person was, they would quickly lift this protection spell. If she felt this horrible for much longer, Emma was sure she'd throw up everything sitting in her stomach.

There was a call above them, and Emma faintly recognized it as Graham's calling down to them. "If she is a friend of yours," Emma said slowly with tight eyes, "then it will be you she recognizes. I was just..." Emma gulped. "I was just up there and I didn't see a ship. Her magic must have it so we can't. You need to do something, Regina." Emma felt rather than saw the woman nod. Slowly, the body beneath her shifted, and Emma stood up as well. The two women hung on to each other as they got on deck. Henry was kneeling on the ground, a bucket next to him, someone's vomit before him as he was trying not to hurl himself. He continued scrubbing, and more than half of the ship were leaned over the side, losing their stomach contents.

Emma walked Regina over to the front of the ship and held a hand to the small of her back as she stood on the side and called out. "Maleficent! T'is I, Regina, Queen of the Sirens! I wish to sail in these waters!" There was a silence, but there was no longer the feeling of nausea. Then, there was a purple haze that quickly became the image of a ship almost as large as Regina's, which in itself easily overshadowed the SS Storybrooke. Regina saw movement before she felt herself being knocked off of the ledge and onto Emma. Both women fought for air. Emma helped Regina, and then went into a fighting stance when a blonde woman in a black and purple cloak appeared in the midnight blue smoke around her. She hurried to Regina, and with the swish of her hand, had Emma flying a few feet. Maleficent tilted her head to look at Emma, and then at her hand. There was a purple glow from the woman's necklace and this made her look back to Regina with a smirk. Then her face became serious again as she moved. Her hand went around Regina's neck, and she lifted the woman up a little bit.

"Where is it?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Where is what?" Emma interjected, lifting herself from the ground quickly. Her green eyes went wide as she watched Maleficent pick Regina up by her neck. She faintly noticed the glowing of her necklace, but all of her attention was on Regina. "You put her down right now!" Emma shouted angrily, already moving to make a run towards the woman holding her love by the neck.

Maleficent only threw her head back in laughter, keeping her hand on Regina's exposed neck. She quickly turned her head towards Emma, an amused smirk spreading her painted lips. "I suggest you back off, little girl. This is none of your concern."

Emma was about to protest, but something forced her airway shut. She stood there for a moment with her mouth hung open and gasping for air. Emma could feel Regina's eyes on her, but she saw nothing as she slumped back to the ground.

As Maleficent brought her attention back to Regina, she saw the scared look on the brunette's face as Regina stared at the blonde's huddled body. It wasn't just fear she saw there, but another look that she hadn't seen in Regina's eyes in far too long.

"Well, well, well. Would you look at that. The Siren Queen is in love again." Maleficent mocked, gaining Regina's attention quickly.

Regina narrowed her eyes and ignored the gasps she heard around them. It was apparently a surprise to most that someone like her could be in love. However, instead of acknowledging what Maleficent said, Regina changed the subject.

"What do you want, Maleficent?" Her voice was calm, but lined with venom. If possible, Regina's brown eyes narrowed further.

"Oh I think you know, Regina." Maleficent stated with a wiggle of her left hands fingers.

Regina's eyes cut to the wiggling fingers and she immediately noticed something missing. She looked at Emma once more before turning her spiteful gaze back to Maleficent. "I don't have your precious ring, my dear Maleficent. Now if you don't mind, would you kindly release your grip on Emma's throat. You're killing her."

It looked as if Maleficent was about to protest, but Regina heard a large gasp from beside them and she exhaled with relief. She wasn't sure what she would have done had Emma died. Regina only reigned in her anger to make sure Maleficent would release the hold on her neck. But until then, she needed to be patient with her old friend.

The blonde witch searched Regina's eyes. As she saw that her friend was in love, she also saw that she wasn't herself, and not just in the same way people change when they fall in love. There was something hollow. She tilted her head, and then she noticed that there was no pulse under her fingers, no quickening of heartbeat for Maleficent to grin wickedly at as she normally would. Regina was afraid, but not for herself. Before now, she never had a reason to be, not with her. Now, she faced death, and all she could do is let out a snarky statement about her little pet. "Your heart." She let Regina go as if her hand had been burned, and she stepped away.

"You've come all this way to choke the life out of me all for the concern of my heart? How sweet. Almost reminds me of old times." There was a small laugh there, and Emma's eyes flickered to Regina. Even if bitterly, Emma hadn't heard the other woman laugh since her heart had been stolen. She tried to search her mind for when Regina may have laughed even that night on her ship, but her addled mind was already filling up with a strange sea chantey she had heard once a long time ago when she was really young, long before even her family found her. The words Regina spoke made Emma wonder just what kind of friends the two had been, but judging the blonde witch's answering smirk, she was sure she didn't want to know.

Maleficent's face fell, which wiped away her smirk. "Where is your heart, Regina. You can't be in love without one."

"You don't say," Regina replied. "If you must know, it was taken."

"By your mother."

"Yes." Regina's look was dumbfounded. There really were only a good handful of people to blame for this crime, but it was doubtful anyone would point their fingers to Regina's own mother. "How did you know?"

Maleficent looked at Regina with pity now, before her eyebrows furrowed. Under other circumstances, it would have amused Regina to see such a colorful array of emotions pass the blonde witch's face. Still, there were words Maleficent was trying to find, and so Regina gave her that time. "I thought she was working for you when she came to my home."

"She came to you? When? Why?"

"Why do you think?" Maleficent held up her hand again. "I couldn't figure it out, why she was there last night. At first I thought she was passing along a message from you. It had been too long since tea in Wonderland, dear," she said as an afterthought, her voice almost wistful now. "That is, until she attacked me. I was there when she taught you magic, dearie. I knew I couldn't defeat her, but she wasn't out to kill me. She just wanted my ring."

"I'm sorry," Regina said. She felt responsible for her mother's actions even if she couldn't figure out what she was doing, let alone why.

"And now she has both my ring and your heart. What I don't know is why," Maleficent said almost to herself now. "If your heart beats as two, then I could see it. So many spells require it to complete... but to have my ring as well?" She shook her head.

As Maleficent spoke mainly to herself, Emma wobbled her way over to Regina. She was trying to catch her breath still as she placed a hand on Regina's shoulder. Absentmindedly, Regina placed her arm around Emma's waist, which in turn helped to keep the blonde upright and standing. Emma leaned against Regina and let out a sigh of relief.

Regina swished her hand through the air, affectively silencing Maleficent. She quickly turned to glare at Regina, dramatically pointing to her mouth and raising an eyebrow. Regina laughed heartily, once again sending a jealous streak racing through Emma.

"I needed your attention, dear." Regina spoke before releasing the silencing spell on Maleficent.

"You could have just yelled my name." Maleficent said, clearing her throat for effect.

"Yes, well, as you can tell I am not much for yelling right now."

"Oh, she really did take your heart, didn't she?" Maleficent questioned, eyes flickering for a moment to the blonde hanging onto Regina. Her eyes scanned Emma's body, her tongue coming out to lick her lips appreciatively. "You have good taste, Regina. It's too bad your mother had such terrible timing. You could have had a nice little life with this one." She waved her hand at Emma, slipping a wink to her.

"Enough." Regina spat, her arm tightening around Emma a little tighter. She let silence stretch for a few minutes before continuing. "You said something about my heart beating as two. Explain that…please?" Regina raised her eyebrows and tilted her head the tiniest bit.

Maleficent smiled wickedly, taking a step towards Regina. Emma straightened up even further, ready to throw herself in front of her if needed. Maleficent rolled her eyes and stopped moving.

"Relax, dear. I'm not moving to strike. Calm down." Maleficent looked at Regina with a side smirk. "She's jumpy." She pointed out, chuckling soon after.

Regina made no move to laugh, only staring Maleficent down. "Explain." She said once more.

"Alright, alright. I'm explaining." Maleficent stated, sighing slightly. "What I meant by that was your heart is not only beating for one person, but two. Meaning that your heart is beating for you and for her. The same can be said about her heart as well." Maleficent stopped to point at Emma. "Perhaps we can take a look, hmm?" She turned to Emma, reaching towards her chest with a smirk.

Regina quickly raised her hand, stopping Maleficent in her tracks and freezing her. "Don't you dare touch her." She growled, giving the older blonde a sneer before releasing her.

"Wow, Regina. You've lost your fun streak. Apparently love makes you a downer." Maleficent stepped away from Emma, leaving her be as Regina commanded. However, that didn't stop her from standing closer to Regina.

Emma stared on with eyes wide. She had been sure her heart was about to be ripped from her chest. However, she instantly relaxed when Regina stopped her. The relaxing didn't last long as she watched Maleficent stand a little too close to Regina for her liking. Her jealousy flared even further, this time mixed with a bit of anger. Emma did not like Maleficent. She clearly had no idea what personal space was. Not to mention she had the ability to make Regina laugh and that seemed to bother her quite a bit.

"Regina?" Emma spoke up, placing a hand smoothly on Regina's cheek to make her turn towards her.

"Yes, my love?" Regina asked, turning her head to Emma as she felt her smooth hand against her cheek.

"Shouldn't we be sailing? We need to find your mother." Emma reminded, raising an eyebrow. To be truthful, she just wanted to get away from Maleficent.

Regina nodded, agreeing with her. "We should be, yes. But first we need to convince Maleficent to sail with us. After all, my mother does have her ring." She turned to Maleficent, giving the woman an evil little smile. Regina missed Emma's face turning pale at her words.

"Me? Sail with you? Not in this bucket of rot, and never in this lifetime."

"Mally," Regina said softly, using a tone and nickname long ago abandoned when talking to her friend. This alone made Maleficent tense up. Emma did as well. Regina felt the body next to her shift, and she felt bad for Emma, knowing that if she was in her place she would feel the same way. The truth was though, that Regina couldn't defeat her mother now, especially since her heart and will to fight was mostly gone. "Please." The plea said so much more than anyone but the two witches would ever know. It spoke of long days learning spells together, of the times they laughed and told jokes and made fun of the so called 'pure' royalty who were living their happily ever after. It spoke even of the nights, and there had been a few, they had shared that had been too intimate for mere friendship. Her one word reminded Maleficent that they had been through too much for her to turn her back on Regina.

"Damn it," Maleficent said. She turned around and called out to her ship. "Take everyone home- No," she said as an afterthought. She crooked her finger in a beckoning gesture, and there before Regina and Emma kneeled a small young woman. She coughed and slowly got to her feet. "Now you may go. And send Phillip my regards." With that she turned her back on the ship, and only when she heard it begin to sail away, she smirked. The young woman didn't move, and Emma more than anyone knew that it was because her spirit had been broken. "Just a keepsake," the blonde witch said, "something to look at and remember old conquests."

"You didn't-"

"Oh no, dear," Maleficent said, her tone almost in disgust at the thought of touching the girl. "I just need to keep a kingdom in line, that's all. So, where are we staying on this... ship?"

It was then that Mulan spoke up. Before, she had been fine with letting Regina handle this woman, since she knew so little about magic except for the lore of her lands, but now this ship was hers, and she needed to make sure this new woman knew that.

"You'll be staying in the same place as everyone else on this ship. Sleep where you can. I gave Emma and Regina the Captain's quarters, so that's off limits." Mulan called from the helm, a smirk dancing on her lips as Maleficent scowled up at her.

"Oh, lovely. I get to sleep with the common." Maleficent said in mock enthusiasm.

Regina let out a short laugh, shaking her head. "Forever a proud witch." She said.

"Til the day I die." Maleficent remarked, winking flirtatiously at Regina.

It was that wink that made Emma let go of Regina and turn away. She didn't want to stand there and watch the two of them flirt with each other. Emma could only imagine the history Maleficent and Regina had, but she was trying so very hard not to think about it. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she walked away towards the cabin. She vaguely heard Regina call after her, but Emma continued on. Jealousy and rage swam through her veins, but she tried not to let it show on her face.

Mulan watched Emma for a moment before kicking herself into gear. She began to bark out orders and everyone moved in a scurry. "Weigh anchor! Hoist the mizzen! Hoist the colors! We have a ship to sail!"

As the shipmates went about the tasks to make the ship sail, Regina turned to Maleficent. "Thank you, Mally." It was just a whisper, but it took Maleficent by surprise.

"I don't like what this is doing to you. You're very different without your heart." There was a frown on Maleficent's face as she said this.

"I don't like it anymore than you do. The taking of my heart changed Emma as well." Regina sounded sad as she said Emma's name. "This is why we're going after my mother. We both need my heart back."

"I can see that." Maleficent said, looking towards the place Emma had been walking. The blonde was nowhere to be found now. "She's a jealous one, Regina. I do believe she does love you. How marvelous." Maleficent almost sounded sincere, but Regina knew her well enough to know better.

"I would feel the same were I in her position." Regina defended, eyes cutting to the door of the Captain's quarters. "I must go speak with her."

"And leave me here alone? I don't think so." Maleficent scowled at Regina.

"You will be just fine on this ship, Maleficent. If someone messes with you, which I doubt will happen, then use one of your spells. You have plenty." Regina grinned evilly at Maleficent before turning and making her way to the door Emma had disappeared into.

It was dark in the cabin, but Regina's eyes quickly adjusted to it. The first place she looked was the bed. It was empty, no beautiful blonde to be found there. Regina sighed and turned, a flash of red catching her eyes. As she looked up, Regina saw Emma sitting in the ornate chair that was pushed back from the desk, sitting near the large window of the ship.

"Emma?" Regina called, moving towards the blonde slowly. She was only met with silence. "Emma. I am sorry." Regina continued to surprise herself with words she had never thought to say before losing her heart. Regina, Queen of the Sirens, did not apologize or say please….until now. Silence continued to reign on, so Regina moved around the desk and over to Emma, moving a piece of blonde hair from Emma's face with her fingers.

Emma did not move, nor did she look up at Regina. She was sulking and acting like a child, she knew that, but she was far less than okay with what had gone on between Regina and Maleficent on the deck. Emma desperately wanted to instantly move towards the hand that swept back her hair, but she willed herself not to move.

"Please speak to me, Emma. I cannot stand this silence." Regina's voice was strained, sounding as if she was holding back tears.

The blonde was silent for just a minute or two longer before she finally cast her green eyes up to Regina's beautiful face. "I don't like the way she touches you. Or the way she stands too close to you." Emma said, clenching her jaw together tightly afterwards.

The tiniest of smiles appeared on Regina's lips. Emma really was jealous. "That is just the way Maleficent is, dear. She does it to everyone."

"You are not just everyone." Emma argued, her hands clenching tightly to the arms of the chair. "You are… You are… My love, Regina." She confessed, cheeks reddening with embarrassment. This was not like Emma. "I don't want her to touch you. At all. And the way she touches you tells me there is a very large history there. One I'm sure I don't need to know about." Emma sucked in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she looked away from Regina. "I am jealous of her." The words spilled out of Emma's mouth before she could stop them and when they did, she felt angered toward herself and the blonde witch who now occupied the ship.

"My past is just the past, Emma. Surely there are others in your life before all of this," Regina said reasonably, though her chest swelled in anger at the thought of it. And it was just then that Regina understood it all. Regina draped herself over Emma when the woman didn't respond. "We lived in the same village so long ago. We were the only girls with any sort of nobility, and since my mother didn't want me to be anything but royalty, she wouldn't allow me to play with any other children, especially boys. Maleficent was always somewhat cruel, but I could always tell that deep down she was just like me, under pressures from her own family to be better in the only way that girls like us could: through the marriage to a wealthy or noble man. When my mother met this strange... 'man' isn't a word I would use for him, but it is the only one that can vaguely compare, she began to learn magic, and then I did too. My mother wanted me to have power, through royalty or magic. I taught Maleficent a few of the things I knew, and when she was caught using magic, my mother began to teach her too.

"We grew older, and more powerful, she and I. It got to a point in our lives where we were the only ones who could even be considered equals. I always thought that if I couldn't get the upper hand over someone, I didn't want to be beneath them, so being equal with Maleficent suited me just fine. I... I suppose at one time I considered myself a little bit in love with her. I don't know if it was true or the games of children, but as my mother became more consumed with the magic, Mally was all I had. Even in her darkest and most powerful moments, my mother couldn't go against us both at the same time, and so it was the two of us against the world..."

"Why aren't you still that close?" Emma asked through a tight throat. She was glad that Regina was sitting on her now. It calmed her a bit, but she felt silent tears on her face. She predicted this story wasn't going to end well. After all, Regina was the Siren Queen for a reason, and there had to have been many things that took her down such a road.

Regina ached, but she couldn't say it out loud. She searched herself for the words, but none came. There was a knock on the wood of the door to the room.

"This is your captain. I have Belle and the witch with me. We need to discuss navigation."

"Come in, captain," Emma called, "Just as long as I don't have to get up."

Mulan entered just as Maleficent gave a look of disgust to the woman who lead the way inside. She didn't like being referred to as simply the witch. Unless there was some sort of title to it. The Wicked Witch, something like that. She was above all of them, and she relished the moment she would be able to show them all that again. As she looked around the room, which seemed quite small even for captain's quarters, Maleficent asked, "Remind me again why we couldn't use MY ship?"

Mulan gave her a look that warned her to stay silent, and then beckoned to Belle. The young woman spread out maps and a book, along with her compass. She looked to Emma and Regina with a small smile of nervousness before she began to speak. "I've mapped out a few courses for you, but it's your choice which one to take." Belle began, all eyes watching her and then turning to the map.

"But where exactly are we going?" Emma asked, her arms holding Regina tightly around the waist. She had a protective hold on her while Maleficent was in the room. However, she kept her eyes on the map and tried to focus.

"I would be the one with that information." Maleficent spoke up, moving herself closer to the desk everyone was huddled around. She faked a smile down to Emma, gaining a glare from Regina for it. Maleficent ignored it and continued on. "Cora used my ring right away, turning herself into a dragon. The old hag started to fly Northeast."

"Northeast," the darker witch murmured. "Then that means she isn't going home." Regina raised an eyebrow, beginning to wonder just exactly what her mother was up to. She shifted in Emma's arms to make herself more comfortable, her eyes wandering over the maps and the lines Belle had drawn out.

"Oh, no, I don't think she's going home. She's got a plan and I want to know what my ring has to do with that. Besides turning herself into a dragon." Maleficent sneered. She had always hated that woman.

"More importantly, what does she want with Regina's heart and where the hell is she going with it?" Emma questioned, her green eyes flickering up to Regina's face for a moment. She wanted to get Regina's heart back so very badly, but it seemed they had quite a lot to figure out before she could even get close to doing so.

"Northeast is practically barren of human beings. There is nothing there," Regina said.

Maleficent's eyebrow rose as she gave her friend a look. "Are you certain?" When Regina met her eyes, there was half of a conversation, but even then the darker woman seemed confused.

"Yes," Regina said, but her voice betrayed this fact.

"Your mother took your heart, not your intelligence. There is something there, and you know that better than anyone. There is only one bit of land in that direction. What lives there?" Maleficent asked.

"Fairy folk. Elves and the like." Regina didn't know what her friend was getting at, but her patience was wearing thin, and she still had an emotional conversation to finish with Emma.

"And what do 'elves and the like' protect?"

"If you know something just-"

"Magic," Belle spoke up then, which forced both witches to look at her. "They protect magic," she said again.

Maleficent put her hands together, her voice a bitter sort of honey. "Give a girl a treat." she said.

"Watch yourself," Mulan warned.

Maleficent ignored it, but went on, "Yes, magic. More importantly, magic portals."

"But my mother already knows how to travel the portals without going there," Regina said.

"Not all."

Regina didn't need long to think about this. "The rabbit hole to Wonderland."

"Yes-"

"She may be after Jefferson."

"Who?" Mulan asked.

"Jefferson is the hat maker of Wonderland, and in possession of a magical item as well."

"But is she after just any magical items she could get her hands on?" the captain asked.

"No, she has plenty of those. Jefferson's hat is special, as is Maleficents ring," Regina replied.

"Why does she need Jefferson's hat?" Maleficent asked.

"You said it yourself, my friend. Magic. If what you say about my heart is true, that it could be used in a spell, then it must require a lot of magic. There is nothing more powerful than Jefferson's hat."

"What does it do?" Emma asked. Regina looked back at her. The two shared a small smile before Regina addressed Maleficent and the captain. This alone made things better, and it amazed Emma to know that a smile from Regina could heal her so much.

"It is another creator of portals. But to different lands, lands we couldn't even dream of."

Belle immediately perked up. This was all sounding like a story she read about. "This sounds familiar," the young woman said. Her eyes told the others in the room that her mind was elsewhere, most likely on a bookshelf somewhere. "There are tales- Oh, I wish I could remember! Captain, permission to leave?" she said.

Startled, Mulan nodded. "I'll return shortly." She gave a partial salute and left.

The rest of the women remained silent until Belle returned. She looked around and her face went red.

"So?" Regina asked after another silence.

"I knew I heard something similar before. In this book, there is a tale about the time of the ancients. They placed their magic in objects and were said to travel to many lands." Belle flipped through the yellowed pages of this book carefully, as if handling the wings of a butterfly.

"I know of which you speak, but they are just stories."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean that her mother doesn't believe them to be true."

"There's more," Maleficent said after a quick study of the girl. Belle nodded.

Flipping slowly through her book, the young woman said, "This book says that the portals- as that is what we are dealing with- went to a land without magic, a place called Asgard where gods dwell, a world run by four children and a talking lion, and even the stars. Were the item- if it is indeed this hat- to be found and used properly, it doesn't state that there is need for a spell, at least, not like that. However, I remember seeing..." Belle's eyes landed on a page before she continued to speak, "This tale here, about one man's quest to open a portal that had been guarded by the grandest magic. One of the ancients wondered if it was time to open this portal, but every being that attempted it failed because they were not pure enough to enter."

Emma leaned forward so that her chest was pressed against Regina's back now. "I know this tale! It's a good story. I forget what was supposed to be there, though."

Surprisingly, it was Regina who answered before Belle could. "The eternal waters." She wanted to echo Maleficent's words and remind them all that it was just a myth, but she wondered if it really was. After all, Wonderland itself had been only been a part of legend, yet both of them had been found in Regina's lifetime alone.

"Yes," Belle replied. "The proper name is here, but from my studies, it is roughly translated to 'The Fountain of Youth'."

Mulan seemed to be the first to understand the implication of all that was said so far. "Your mother doesn't sound like a woman who could even come near a portal that requires purity to enter into it."

"No, she isn't," Maleficent replied, "but love is the purest thing in this world. The heart of a witch in love and enough magic could fool anything into believing you're pure if the right spell is involved."

Regina didn't say anything to the pointed look Maleficent was casting her way. If she was in love at all, it was because of the spell that was on both her and Emma. Any further spell casting would surely fail. What she never would say out loud, unless she supposed, if Emma looked at her the right way and asked her, is that the spell she had cast what felt like so many years ago on her ship was meant for Emma alone, and it was only supposed to paralyze the woman for a short period of time. Somehow it surrounded them both and made them both... wrong somehow. She couldn't have truly been in love with Emma, and to say this much, as she already had previously, may as well have been a lie.

"So we lay in a course to the Northeast to go after Cora."

"No offence Captain, but Cora was in dragon form, which means that she will arrive there by sunrise tomorrow. In even the finest vessel, it would take us a fortnight, and that is only if we do not fall into the traps of the sea and are equipped with the finest sailors-"

"Which we will be," Emma huffed out, offended despite the other woman's disclaimer, thus cutting off Maleficent's words.

"Also," the blonde witch stressed as she continued on, "her skin alone and the magic of the ring will protect her from just about everything. She will have gotten to Jefferson AND the Fountain of Youth before we can get out of this region."

"What all will we be expected to encounter along the way?"

"Honestly, that depends on the route you take."

Here, Belle shifted her book back to the table and rearranged everything so that the maps were visible again. She ran her finger over the markings and said, "Well, if we take the quickest route, we would need to go straight through here, and here." Her finger ran a path between two squiggled marks on the map.

"That will take us past Ursula's waters, and further on, the village of The Dark One," Regina said with a frown, and even Maleficent was concerned.

"Ursula, the sea witch?"

"The very same."

"And the dark One who steals children away and makes deals one can never escape from?" Mulan asked. She had heard the stories of her crew speak of this being.

"Yes," Regina said.

Mulan was about to suggest Belle find another way, when Emma's voice spoke up. "Sounds like fun. You don't suppose either of them would have a supply-a rum, do you?"


End file.
